US flight attendant to mark 65 years serving air passengers

Robert Besser
04 Jul 2022, 02:56 GMT+10

Bette Nash, age 86, has been named the longest serving flight attendant in the world, having worked 65 years this fall, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Nash, an American Airlines flight attendant, began flying in 1957.
"We used to pass out cigarettes and matches...on the flight. After the meal service I would go around with Kent's and Marlboros," she said.

NEW YORK CITY, New York: Bette Nash, age 86, has been named the longest serving flight attendant in the world, having worked 65 years this fall, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Nash, an American Airlines flight attendant, began flying in 1957. She has worked the New York-Washington-Boston route for most of her career.

Nash said she chose this route because it allows her to be home every night with her handicapped son.

When she began flying, she said American Airlines would check to ensure she was not living with a man, since flight attendants had to be single.

Also, she would have to step on a scale to ensure she remained at a certain weight.

"You had to be a certain height, you had to be a certain weight. It used to be horrible. You put on a few pounds and you had to keep weighing yourself, and then if you stayed that way, they would take you off the payroll," Nash said, as reported by ABC News.

Nash recalled that the flight between flight between New York and Washington cost $12 in her earlier years.

"We used to pass out cigarettes and matches...on the flight. After the meal service I would go around with Kent's and Marlboros," she said.

Nash said she continues to attend flight attendant training, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

(Photo credit: thepointsguy.com)

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