Fly Girl

The first time I flew, I had just had my 5th birthday, my older brother had his 8th three days after mine, and my younger brother had just been born, and in two days it would be Halloween. It was years before I made the connection between that first trip - to Disneyland with my older brother and my father - that we’d left the day after my mother, and my then new-born brother had come home from the hospital. I remember that flight more than I would remember our stay there, and our visiting Disneyland had it not been for the photographs my father took. What I remember about the flight - on a TWA plane - was that I was sitting next to an older couple, I had no idea where my older brother was sitting, and my father was the pilot. The older couple kept insisting I should be sitting with my parents, and called the flight attendant over. She asked if I knew where my mother was, and I told her she wasn’t on the plane. The older woman huffed at that. Then she asked where my father was, and, in tears, I said he was flying the plane. I was immediately moved to a seat alone by a window. Later on, my father came back to check on me sometime after we’d reached altitude, and after that, I was invited by the flight attendants working that flight to join them in their private space, with a small-ish semi-circular couch. There I was taught the whole ‘drill’ that we all have heard by now, “in case of emergency” etc.

When I saw this title and the cover, I knew I wanted to read this. Ann Hood joined TWA in the 1970’s, and began working as a flight attendant during the glory days of TWA, an era when people would still dress up to fly, and flying had become more commonplace than in earlier years. My mother had been an ’Air Hostess’ for PCA Capital Airlines, and although I rarely heard stories about those days from her, somewhere I have a copy of a telegram sent to her by a male passenger, sent via her supervisor at Capital. So I wasn’t surprised to read about the amorous requests for dates from passengers, but there was more to this story than that. Long days, of course, but so much more. I was happily surprised when I read that Ann Hood had also worked as a flight attendant, albeit briefly, for Capital Airlines during a TWA strike.

Ann Hood had been obsessed with the idea of flight since she was young. The story of Laika, the dog that the Russians had launched into space in Sputnik 2, and the race to be the first in space was on the minds of everyone. For Halloween, Ann dressed as a space girl, wrapped in a costume made of aluminum foil and pipe cleaners for her antennae. As a young girl, her family would go to watch the progress being made as the new airport in Chantilly, Virginia was being built. It was another era, progress was being made - visibly - in the race for space, as well. When she was eleven, she read a book called ’How to Become an Airline Stewardess’ and was enamored with the idea of being able to have a career flying. At the age of sixteen, traveling with a friend, she flew for the first time. Her first ’great adventure.’ Another dream of hers was to become a writer, and with her belief that all writers needed to experience great adventures in order to have worthy tales to tell. Her desire to fly would, indeed, allow her many opportunities, many places to visit, and many stories to tell.

Thus began her love of flying, born in the years before TSA checkpoints, in the years when people could still meet you at the gate upon your arrival, or watch your plane as it taxied away from the gate, and watch as your plane took to the skies. The glamour of flying has faded somewhat over the years, more so after 9/11 and the last couple of years as reports of people needing to be restrained, or flights needing to land so an unruly passenger can find a more appropriate place to remain.

I loved every minute of reading this, even though I never dreamed of being a flight attendant, I loved reading her story, and the memories it brought back of the era, and more.


Pub Date: 03 May 2022

Many thanks for the ARC provided by W.W. Norton & Company

A fascinating first-hand story of what it was like to work as a flight attendant toward the end of the golden age of travel. The author, who later went on to become a successful novelist, lets us in on all aspects of her life as a TWA stewardess, from applying, to training, to flying and beyond, including getting furloughed and struggling with changes in the aviation industry. A fun and informative read!

As a long-time fan of Ann Hood, I was excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint. Nobody tells a story quite like Ann Hood. Fly Girl follow's Ann's adventures as a flight attendant during the heyday of air travel. While this is a memoir filled with fun and entertaining stories about her experiences, it also explores what it was like for young women in the late '70's and early 80's to work in a sexist environment just as feminism was emerging. I highly recommend this one for fans of Ann Hood, or for anyone who enjoys memoirs written by women.

Ann Hood became a flight attendant at TWA in 1978 and worked there for many years. In this book, she recounts the places she saw and the people she met, and how the shifting culture of air travel at the time affected her and her job.She was fortunate enough to fly during what was considered the golden age of air travel until the advent of deregulation and its after effects which changed the industry beyond recognition..

The author gives us a fascinating insight into the world of air travel in the 70's and 80's which makes the modern reader wish they had been able to experience. Who wouldn't want to be served freshly sliced chateaubriand, tossed salad and made to order ice cream sundaes instead of the plastic meal trays and bags of peanuts facing travellers onboard today? However it wasn't all glitz and glamour and the hard working stewardesses also found themselves with much to have to cope with from dirty diapers in the seat pockets, drunken and rowdy teams of sportsmen and women breast feeding cats. (Yes you read that correctly)

Everyone who flies on an airplane should read this book and be made aware that far from the trolley dolly unformed bar staff image, on board staff are an integral part of the flaying experience and help to ensure that each and every passenger has a safe and comfortable trip even when it means they have to suffer themselves when going above and beyond for the customers. I defy you to read this and come out without a newly found appreciation for flight attendants.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #wwnorton and @annhood56 for the ARC.

There is nothing better than booking a ticket, arriving at the airport, boarding the plane and jetting off to a far off destination, except maybe doing it as a job. Ann Hood, became a flight attendant (not a stewardess) in 1978 when they were the epitome of glamor and sophistication. As a TWA flight attendant, Ann trained in everything from emergency evacuations on seven different planes to serving cocktails while avoiding handsy passengers. Enduring furloughs, strikes, airline disasters, and unpleasant airline routes, Ann eventually travelled the world and proudly wore the TWA uniform.

I dreamed of becoming a flight attendant after college and I lived vicariously through Ann's book. It is not the glamorous job you think it is (expect for the free travel). Unhappy passengers, dirty diapers shoved under seats, long layovers and loneliness are all a part of the job.

I have so much more respect for flight attendants now, who get even less benefits and perks than in the 70's and 80's. They work hard, for little pay, little benefits and even grumpier passengers.

Everyone should read this book and be extra nice on your next flight!

What a memoir! And written with the style I have loved since I first read Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine back in the late 80s (yes, I am old). Learning lessons, never understating the fun and oddness, and providing a short history of the airline industry from the perspective of those who lived through it. Fun!