A friend of mine just became a flight attendant. I'd be really interested to talk to someone who was working as a flight attendant in the era that the photos were taken and compare those experiences to the experiences of flight attendants now. I've never hung out with any flight attendants, as far as I know, but every pilot I've ever hung with, commercial or otherwise has, uh . . . been able to hold their liquor.
Wow, what a route. I'd be more surprised if she didn't have stories about flying that way. These days, when I fly I tend to think of this scene from Airplane! Maybe it's because I fly coach, but the absent way that some attendants go about interacting with the passengers sometimes makes me wonder just how stressful the job is and if I could maintain at least the veneer of friendly service, if I were flying all the time.
My mother was a Northwest Orient flight attendant from 60' through 77'. All international flights, mostly to Japan, and all over SE Asia. She flew on 720s, 707s, and mostly 747s. She's got lots of stories. I still have a bunch of Northwest Orient glasses, flatware, and other items from the planes that she gave me. These aren't my mother, but she has tons of pictures of her wearing this outfit. They used to have an all red one too with an equally ridiculous hat.
I think a lot of the Middle-Eastern airlines, as well as Singapore and Thailand are trying to recapture some of that age of flight service. When I can afford it, I choose to fly those airlines above all others, though I'm sure their hiring practices are not what what we consider to be "equal opportunity."
Oh man, I was hoping for a picture of a cockpit. Did they have slide rules in the cockpits of the early 70s?