The aviation industry is mourning the death of 88-year-old Bette Nash, who dedicated nearly seven decades to serving passengers in the skies and held the Guinness world record for the longest-serving flight attendant.
Bette Nash's longtime employer, American Airlines, announced the news on Facebook on Saturday. The airline paid tribute to Bette Nash, calling her a “legend” and acknowledging her nearly 70 years of dedicated service to passengers. “Fly high, Bette. We'll miss you,” they wrote.
Bette Nash, who was based in Washington D.C., died on May 17 while she was under hospice care after being diagnosed with breast cancer, reported ABC News. She was still an employee of American Airlines at the time of her death.
Nash's journey in aviation began in 1957 when she joined the now-defunct Eastern Airlines at the young age of 21, as per the Professional Flight Attendants Association. The AFPA recognised her lasting impact, stating, "Bette's legacy will forever be remembered in the aviation community."
At the time, air travel was a vastly different experience, with flights between major cities priced at a mere $12 (₹999), and onboard amenities included lavish offerings like lobster and complimentary cigarettes served by "stewardesses," as they were known then.
Nash witnessed firsthand the evolution of the aviation industry, particularly with the advent of technology. Gone were the days of handwritten tickets as automation and digital systems revolutionised operational processes.
Nash, who was born in December 1935, reflected on her lifelong passion for aviation in a 2016 interview with CNN on how she had wanted to be a flight attendant “from the time I got on the first aeroplane” at the age of 16. “The pilot and flight attendant walked across the hall and I thought, ‘Oh my God,' I said that was for me,” she had said. Ms Nash applied for the job after college, and as she remarked, "the rest is history."
