HikerTom wrote:
For a long time from its start, air travel was a thing for the rich, and the early years of the jet age had a particularly glamourous image (people dressed up to travel by jet), so the airlines had F/As to fit that image. Don't know when their union had the requirements chnages, but it most likely coincided with the cheapening of air travel and the airlines becoming more and more like cattle haulers.
It's nice to the the Asian airlines keeping uo the traditional glamour image.
People dressed well in the early days of air transportation even before the introduction of jet powered aircraft. They also dressed in suit, tie and fedora hats at major league baseball games.
In those days a stewardess was a very sought after job and the competition and selection process was brutal. Rules were strict and rigorously enforced. Height and weight proportional, wearing a girdle mandatory, hygiene beyond reproach, etc, etc, etc. Mandatory grounding at the old age of 27
When you boarded a flight it was not a question if any of the stewardesses were pretty it was which of all the beauties is the standout.
Why did they do it? They got to travel to places their family and friends could only dream about. Remember a very small percentage of people had ever actually flown and those girls who worked for carriers with international routes went to places others dreamed about but knew they would never get there. Then off course they also had the dream, which in many cases came true, to bag a rich passenger or airline captain as a marriage partner.
Those were the days my friend, those were the days.
_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine
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Spirit "flight attendants" appear to be just a rung or two up the ladder from the Walmart check-out personnel... Some of the fugliest creatures I have ever seen on a plane! 
