Leovinus
1st Jan 2021, 10:57
Hello all, and a happy new year!
Now to my question - What would a lengthy transatlantic or transpacific Comet/707/DC-8/VC-10 flight look like for a cabin crew? Dinner prep at 16:00, toilets cleaned at 19:00? A standing nap in the galley at 20:00 with landing preparations at 22:00? What routines and schedules did pursers, stewards, and stewardesses follow to deliver on the marketings promise during the 1960s?
I think it's fair to say that our current image of what flying "used to be" in the 60's jet set age is more caricature than reality at this point. Even for most aviation enthusiasts; who generally skew toward the more technical. Images of sumptuous seats and flying lounges, with Michelin star level food and service by expert stewards and model-worthy stewardesses taken straight out of marketing material and generally accepted as fact. Or close to it. I'm more curious as to what the job entailed in actuality however.
To be perfectly frank the question arose because I wanted to try my hand at writing (about a transpolar Tokyo to Paris trip if you were wondering) during the holidays. And while I know a fair bit more about airline operation than the ordinary layman, I realise that I've got absolutely no idea what the service routines actually looked like. And information is hard to come by. Mostly, I think, because great service is highlighted and remembered as events. Snapshots. Seldom retold as part of a larger context.
Any and all memories, or suggestions for good sources, on the duties and routines of cabin crew during the early jetset age would be most welcome!
Now to my question - What would a lengthy transatlantic or transpacific Comet/707/DC-8/VC-10 flight look like for a cabin crew? Dinner prep at 16:00, toilets cleaned at 19:00? A standing nap in the galley at 20:00 with landing preparations at 22:00? What routines and schedules did pursers, stewards, and stewardesses follow to deliver on the marketings promise during the 1960s?
I think it's fair to say that our current image of what flying "used to be" in the 60's jet set age is more caricature than reality at this point. Even for most aviation enthusiasts; who generally skew toward the more technical. Images of sumptuous seats and flying lounges, with Michelin star level food and service by expert stewards and model-worthy stewardesses taken straight out of marketing material and generally accepted as fact. Or close to it. I'm more curious as to what the job entailed in actuality however.
To be perfectly frank the question arose because I wanted to try my hand at writing (about a transpolar Tokyo to Paris trip if you were wondering) during the holidays. And while I know a fair bit more about airline operation than the ordinary layman, I realise that I've got absolutely no idea what the service routines actually looked like. And information is hard to come by. Mostly, I think, because great service is highlighted and remembered as events. Snapshots. Seldom retold as part of a larger context.
Any and all memories, or suggestions for good sources, on the duties and routines of cabin crew during the early jetset age would be most welcome!