At 86, American Airlines flight attendant Bette Nash is the oldest and longest-serving flight attendant in the world, according to Guinness World Records. Nash started her career as an air hostess in 1957. She is a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and has been working with American Airlines for 65 years.
According to a report, Nash had the freedom to choose any route she wants but for most of her career, she has been loyal to the New York-Washington-Boston Shuttle. Nash prefers this route because it allows her to be home every night with her disabled son who she continues to care for to this day.
She still attends regular flight attendant training
Nash is also a favorite among frequent flyers. “I fly hundreds of thousands of miles a year, but these are always my best flights when Bette is on the plane,” a passenger said.
When she first started flying, she said, the airline would check on her at home to ensure she wasn’t living with a man because flight attendants had to be single. The airline also weighed her before shifts and could suspend her if she gained too much weight, she added.
“You had to be a certain height, you had to be a certain weight. It used to be horrible. You put on a few pounds and you had to keep weighing yourself, and then if you stayed that way, they would take you off the payroll,” she said during a flight in 2017.
“As long as I have my health and I’m able, why not work. It’s still fun. Plus, I’ve at least made my Diamond Jubilee, just like Queen Elizabeth”, she said while commenting on her long career.
Nash still attends regular flight attendant training as per Federal Aviation Administration rules.
Earlier, this year, 100-year-old Walter Orthmann of Brazil broke the world record for the longest tenure at the same company.
