Two-Tone-Blue: One upon a distant, CC were there to provide a service to the higher social class who could actually afford to buy an air ticket. They were, dare I say it, flying waitresses. As time went on, safety aspects were introduced, and salaries were increased. The BOAC steward[ess] acquired some form of status [self-perceived?].
They moved from being 'working class' to 'bourgeoisie', seamlessly and with a perception of a higher status in society, reinforced by ever-higher salaries, allowances, and benefits. But perhaps they never forgot their roots.
Disagree. Once upon a distant, the job of stewardess (on BOAC at least) attracted well-brought-up gels from good families on the look-out for a suitable husband, whom they might very well encounter on board. A lot of them married into the aristocracy.
I spent a year, 40 years ago; on the BOAC check-in desks where many of them ended up when (relatively young) age or marriage grounded them. They were fabulous company.