Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am
Glamour, danger, liberation: in a Mad Men era of commercial flight, Pan Am World Airways attracted the kind of young woman who wanted out, and wanted up
Required to have a college degree, speak two languages, and possess the political savvy of a Foreign Service officer, a jet-age stewardess serving on iconic Pan Am between 1966 and 1975 also had to be between 5′3″ and 5′9", between 105 and 140 pounds, and under twenty-six years old at the time of hire. Cooke’s intimate storytelling weaves together the real-life stories of a memorable cast of characters, from small-town girl Lynne Totten, a science major who decided life in a lab was not for her, to Hazel Bowie, one of the relatively few Black stewardesses of the era, as they embraced the liberation of their new jet-set life.
Cooke brings to light the story of Pan Am stewardesses’ role in the Vietnam War, as the airline added runs from Saigon to Hong Kong for planeloads of weary young soldiers straight from the battlefields who were off for five days of R&R, and then flown back to war. Finally, with Operation Babylift—the dramatic evacuation of two thousand children during the fall of Saigon—the book’s special cast of stewardesses unites to play an extraordinary role on the world stage.
Required to have a college degree, speak two languages, and possess the political savvy of a Foreign Service officer, a jet-age stewardess serving on iconic Pan Am between 1966 and 1975 also had to be between 5′3″ and 5′9", between 105 and 140 pounds, and under twenty-six years old at the time of hire. Cooke’s intimate storytelling weaves together the real-life stories of a memorable cast of characters, from small-town girl Lynne Totten, a science major who decided life in a lab was not for her, to Hazel Bowie, one of the relatively few Black stewardesses of the era, as they embraced the liberation of their new jet-set life.
Cooke brings to light the story of Pan Am stewardesses’ role in the Vietnam War, as the airline added runs from Saigon to Hong Kong for planeloads of weary young soldiers straight from the battlefields who were off for five days of R&R, and then flown back to war. Finally, with Operation Babylift—the dramatic evacuation of two thousand children during the fall of Saigon—the book’s special cast of stewardesses unites to play an extraordinary role on the world stage.
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Community Reviews
The subtitle, The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am, sums up the gist of this book, nuanced by the details of the lives of 5 individual Pan Am women. Reasons for joining Pan Am varied, but all of the women were adventurous and out of the norm for their era. Few jobs offered the freedom that came with the job of stewardess, the term used at that time. These women took their jobs seriously, and yes they enjoyed their leisure time, but the book touches lightly on that aspect and dwells on the more serious side of the profession. A very good read.
Finished women’s history month with a quick read about women taking to the friendly skies. I love books that can transport you back in time and to far off places. Found this book checked those boxes kept me wanting to know more about the women who got this coveted jobs seeing the globe.
Overall a decent read if a bit slow at times. Starts off in the 1950’s following several Pan Am flight attendants over their careers and the changes in the airline industry and society in general. The most interesting section was on the history and role that the airlines played during the Vietnam war, from ferrying soldiers to and from Vietnam and Operation Babylift.
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