A "golden age" of flight attendants

Brian Finke spent years exploring and learning about the development of this unique service industry, and recorded them in the book "Flight Attendants". For two consecutive years, he traveled the skies on iron birds, observing the lives of flight attendants from Delta Air Lines, Hooters Air, Southwest, Air France, British Airways, Air Asia and dozens of other airlines.

In his photos, flight attendants with perfectly styled hair and little hats are smiling at the camera or concentrating on their work. They look like professional models from a glossy travel magazine.

The profession of flight attendants is said to have begun in the 1930s. Initially, they were just hospital nurses hired to serve passengers on planes, because it was thought that nurses were gentle and patient by nature - the ideal candidate for airlines. Later, petite women were also "sought after", because they could easily maneuver through the narrow aisles of early planes.

Gradually, this profession has developed into an attractive field for young women to access a broader career vision, have the opportunity to live more independently, travel frequently, meet potential partners and spouses. Some see it as a stepping stone on the path to becoming a model or actress.

In the foreword to Brian Finke's book, writer Alix Browne writes: "Finke's approach to the flight attendants is not so much nostalgic as it is vague. We see them, young women, in their own moment, familiar to the point of being unremarkable - they demonstrate safety rules, smile and wave, as if in a commercial."

Browne also said that today, the profession of flight attendants has become more professional and familiar to society, but most people still see it as a "separate" job, in a completely separate world. In fact, flight attendants are just like us, they are normal people with normal lives.

"Here, in this photo series, beautiful young women dressed in uniform like little soldiers, a little trendy and a little playful. They also do the daily tasks that we do: leaving home to go to work, buying a toothbrush, playing billiards, ironing clothes,...".

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