Relive The Golden Age Of Travel With A Pan Am Stewardess

Airline rage? Passengers being duct-taped to their seat? Arrests after landing? That is the state of much of air travel today – and it makes a lot of people yearn for the Golden Age of Travel – when Pan Am ruled the skies. And people actually dressed up for the occasion.

Michelle Richmond was a Pan Am stewardess from 1970-1973, and she just wrote a book about her exotic escapades back then, called “Fleeting Moments” (Palmetto Publishers, 2024). We asked her all about her days at Pan Am, and what made flying Pan Am so special.

And just to give you a small indication of how great Pan Am was – have you seen the new movie Priscilla, about the love affair between Priscilla Beaulieu and Elvis Presley? When Elvis finally convinced Priscilla’s parents to let her come live at Graceland, he sent her a one-way ticket, which the movie clearly depicts, up close – a ticket on Pan Am from Germany to Memphis, First Class. Obviously, way back when, Pan Am was considered the best – even by The King. And the airline typically flew all kinds of celebrities – everyone from Grace Kelly to The Beatles, to Elizabeth Taylor. And if you saw the film Catch Me If You Can – you’ll totally see how Pan Am pilots were seen as gods of the sky – kind of like rock stars themselves.

So back to Michelle: She told me, “One of the reasons I wrote this book was so that the “older crowd” could reminisce about the “way things were,” and the younger generation could have a peek into that truly “golden age of travel,” which sadly, is gone forever. It was truly a magical time and it was a privilege to have lived it. An experience like that will never come again.”

What was the training like, how long did it last, and what were some of the things you learned?

My training took place in Miami for one month in Miami, then we went on our “training flights,” which took us to NYC, then to London on the 747 – within just three weeks of its launch.

We were given intensive training, which covered everything from grooming and make-up to pouring coffee and serving food at 30,000 feet. Of utmost importance, of course, were the safety protocols to cover onboard emergencies including medical emergencies and airplane evacuations.

What was it about Pan Am that made the experience so special, unique and different?

Pan Am was known for providing the most luxurious service, especially in first class, in international travel. Also, the pilots were well regarded as very competent as most had been trained by military and were extensively schooled in unusual flying conditions. They were experienced in landing on runways with poor lighting and very primitive conditions. That is why we were called, “The world’s most experienced airline.” (Writer’s note: I actually flew First Class on Pan Am in 1985, on a trip to the South of France – on my very first press trip when I was an Editor at Robb Report Magazine. I can still remember being inside the plane, walking up the circular stairway to the second floor, where a gorgeous gourmet meal awaited me.)

As for the flight attendants, we went through a very rigorous selection process and while it may sound “elitist” in this day and age, it was just how things were “done” back then. We had to have a certain amount of education, along with a certain attractive “look” and poise to go along with the Pan Am image.

Tell me about the weigh-in.

Fortunately, by the time I started, the mandatory girdles of the past had been done away with.

Weight check was enforced from Day One in training, and you could be sent home if you were two pounds above your allowed weight. Once out of training, you were weighed randomly or when you were called in specifically for weight check. If you were within five pounds of your weight, you would be put on weekly checks with a time limit to reduce. Otherwise, we could be grounded until we lost that extra weight.

Part of their reasoning – in addition to having to look “chic,” was that we had to be “fit” enough to be able to move quickly in case of an emergency evacuation.

Tell me about the uniforms.

The goal was glamour, femininity and sophistication, and the newly designed Evan Picone uniforms unveiled in January 1970, debuting with my class, underscored that.

They featured a beige jumper with matching jacket and a blue skirt with matching jacket and white blouse with ascot for both ensembles. Hemlines were kept discreetly no more than two inches above the knee. We were also issued a blue Chesterfield-style coat and Italian Borsalino bowler hats in each color with a gold Pan Am insignia. Brown shoulder bags, matching low, stacked heels and a royal blue tote bag complemented the uniform. White cotton gloves for summer and brown leather for colder climes completed the new look.

What was the First-class dinner service like – from the table settings to the cuisine.

It started with a set-up cart that we would roll around the First-Class area. On that cart we had starched white table linens, roll ups of linen napkins with silverware, a bud vase with flower, a china dinner plate, salad bowl, bread plate and salt and pepper shakers. It was a seven- cart service- hors d’oeuvres, salad, soup, roast beef carving station, dessert cart often with flaming baked Alaska, Cherries Jubilee or Sacher Torte. The cuisine was world-reknown- Maxims of Paris. Our cheese and fruit cart followed, accompanied by an assortment of international liqueurs. The execution of this “performance” obviously depended on the length of the flight, but it’s safe to say that no one on any flight went hungry.

Other entrées were carried out individually, according to the passenger selection from the menu. Every meal we served was adorned with what we referred to as the “Pan Am flower,” a fresh sprig of parsley.

Economy passengers were generally given a choice between chicken and pasta – and they were fed no matter how short the leg was.

How did the passengers dress – and ACT – back then?

It was definitely a different “breed” of passengers at that time. First Class passengers were largely well-to-do, cultured and dressed nicely. They actually had paid for the privilege of being there as there was no such thing as “free upgrades.” Even in economy, traveling was seen as an event and people dressed nicely – not as they do today in their casual, bordering on “bedtime garb.” There was also great respect for the cabin crews and the whole experience of flying, something, which is lost today.

What are some of the BEST three things you discovered in your travels, which are still available today – for example, the Portugal monastery’s cream pastry? Tell me all about that.

Among the favorites: Delicious cheesecake from Harrods in London, ceviche from Panama that catering would provide just for us and definitely, the “Pastéis de Belém” (also known as Pastéis de nata) — delicate custard pastries in Portugal made from a secret recipe created by local monks since 1837.

As for shopping, there were fabulous leather “buys” in Uruguay, silver in Mexico, and in Rio I bought a beautiful aquamarine ring.

How can travelers today make themselves more comfortable in flight?

Sadly, because of the much smaller seats and narrow space between the rows, that’s easier said than done these days. I often wonder how we can ever be evacuated safely in case of an emergency with those narrow rows.

Bring insulated socks so you can remove your shoes and not walk barefoot, wear loose clothing, and bring a sweater as cabin temps are kept chilly. For long flights, it’s a good idea to bring some sort of pillow and small blanket as those are no longer available – at least not in economy.

What are some tips on overcoming jet lag?

After an all-night flight, try not to go to bed and sleep for too long once you arrive. Sleep for no more than two hours – even though you’ll be in a daze that first day. But you will sleep well that first night and wake up on local time feeling rested. Also, hydrate a lot and limit alcohol intake those first couple of days.

How did you avoid weight gain with all that travel and hard work?

Back then, I was fortunate and I ran around enough to burn off those extra calories, but it wasn’t that easy for everyone. On every layover the crew would usually gather in the hotel lobby in the evening and set out for recommended restaurants in whatever city we were in – and we ate very well. Some people would put themselves on a liquid diet for a few days while they were home because we never knew when they’d grab us for that weight check.

What are some of your best packing tips?

Roll your clothes like slacks, skirts and tops and line them up along the floor of your suitcase instead of piling them up flat on one another. That way you can lay larger items of clothing across those rows if you need to. Clothes don’t wrinkle by doing that, either. Always pack smaller items inside of your shoes, which you then line up along the edges of the suitcase.

What do you think about this statement: In the Golden Age of Pan Am, the stewardesses all wore white gloves. Today…..they wear rubber gloves.

Without a doubt, the glamour has totally disappeared. You get to the jetway these days and you see the workers hauling off large bags of trash. As a Pan Am stewardess we never saw or did any of that. NEVER.

Even though Pan Am folded on Dec. 4, 1991, no matter where we go, we are still a family. I can be anywhere in the world and whenever I meet a former Pan Am employee, we form an immediate bond. Our motto: “Gone but not forgotten,” is with us to this day. Pan Am is still family, even today.

For more about my Wanderlust and Wellness travels, please Follow me on Insta at @DebbiKickham.