TWA Stewardess

[SKY HIGH]

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stor...18?OpenDocument

Betty Manlin, one of the first TWA airline hostesses during the first days of commercial flight, died Wednesday (May 20, 2009) after suffering a stroke last week. She was 95 and lived in Clayton.

 

[jimntx]

Oh No! I just met her on April 30th. She came to speak to our f/a town hall meeting at STL that day. She actually started flying as an "air hostess" in 1934 before TWA--Western Airlines, I think. She was a hoot. We were all laughing the whole time.

Among some of the things she told us:
1. They flew at 3000 ft or below.
2. They did NOT fly in bad weather.
3. They stayed at the Athletic Club in Newark, NJ. (In connection with #2, she said they used to pray for bad weather, and if the flight cancelled, she and the pilots would go nightclubbing in New York. "I had a good time with the pilots in those days." Said with a grin and a wink.
4. Only rich people flew because the tickets were so expensive. She talked about all the movie stars from the 30's that she had on her flights.
5. She knew both Howard Hughes and Charles Lindbergh.

She continued to fly as a passenger up until this year. The way we got to meet her is that she sat next to my base manager on a flight from STL-LAX a few months ago, and kept her in stitches the whole flight.

God Speed, Betty.

 

[Hopeful]

Wow! 95 and a pioneer!


God Bless!