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At the beginning of
commercial flight, in the 1920s, only men were allowed to serve
as flight attendants - called alternately "cabin boys," "aerial
couriers," "flight companions," and finally "stewards." In 1930
a pioneering registered nurse, Ellen Church, succeeded in
convincing an airlin e executive that nurse
stewardesses were just what the public wanted, and it turned out
to be a critical public relations success.
While
stewardesses quickly won public acclaim (and during World War II
all but supplanted their male counterparts), working conditions
for the women were far from satisfactory. They were forced to
retire at the age of 32, remain single and adhere to strict
weight, height and appearance requirements.
These
ridiculous standards led a group of five brave flight attendants
to form the Air Line Stewardesses Association, the first union
representing flight attendants, on Aug. 22, 1945. Today, that
union is named the Association of Flight
Attendants-CWA.
Through more than 60 years, AFA
members have worked together at the bargaining table, in the
halls of Congress and before regulatory agencies to win a number
of major changes in our industry that have led to safer
airplanes and have transformed our
profession.
Flight attendants are now trained
professionals, responsible for the safety of the passengers in
the airplane cabin. We've come a long way, thanks to the
dedication of the women and men who have banded together to
negotiate and advocate for improvements in compensation and
protections on the job.
Together, we can do so much
more. Click here
For more information about the history of AFA,
click here
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