Did Flight Attendants Really Dress Like This?

[cduluk]

Hey guys! In the past year or so i've sort of become an Aviation "nut" and found something pretty "stunning" on a recent search on Youtube, and just thought i'd get your opinions on it. I found a Southwest Airlines ad from 1972, with a couple of hostesses (aka stewardesses, or flight attendants) strutting across a runway bragging about their "outfits" (consisting of... well, nothing i've ever seen a modern-day flight attendant wearing before...) as they walk towards their plane. I then found another ad from Southwest from the same year with another one of their hostesses wearing the same outfit talking about the airline.

Here are the two videos...

Well, as you can imagine (being a 21 year old male), i find this completely "stunning" and well, kind of depressing. Flight attendants of today CERTAINLY do NOT dress like this anymore, and it just seems "backwards" that this type of thing was allowed 40 years ago, but not in the present day. With all of the crap that's exposed to the youth in today's media and on TV, i find it odd that this type of clothing would be considered "unacceptable" on an airline of today.

Personally, i kind of like the old SWA flight attendant outfits, and i certainly wouldn't mind if today's flight attendants dressed like that! I see no difference between this and the influences of TV, magazines and all of the other crap that's around us 24/7.

So what do you guys/gals think?

[pj8708]

In 1972 I was 24 and those uniforms must have existed in a parallel universe; because I guarantee I would have remembered them had they actually been used. Of course, Southwest did not serve Iowa until the 1990's so what do I know. The thought of that parallel universe is mighty appealing!

[LEXIRX330]

Are you sure that's not the ad for Hooters airline? I think the main reason it has changed look at who can fly now vs. who used to fly. Years ago not everyone could afford to fly. Most of the people that did were business men or wealthy people. Now just about anyone can afford to fly. It is much different. Look at how passengers used to dress to fly. Most had on suits or at least dress shirts... I think you also had to keep in mind years ago people were not as sue happy as they are today. I am sure if there were uniforms like this for a flight attendant today it would be a matter of time before there was someone suing the air line. In 1972 I wasn't born yet Paul :)

[LEXIRX330]

Cd. If your flight attendants looked like the past few I have had you WOULD mind if they dressed like that! :) :) :)

[wlk12]

They sure did :) . Another airline here in California which had the hot pants was PSA, Great stuff!

I'm 70 and started flying in a big way (marketing/program management in the aerospace industry) in the 70's. Believe it or not, flying was actually kind of fun in those days.

Today you couldn't get me near an airport

[dcfish]

My aunt was a stewardess for TWA back in the day. That is what the girls used to wear alright.

[lenore]

Yes and the military during Vietnam would pack us on those flights on Pacific Southwest Airlines and the Girls were very accomodating considering all of the fun we gave them. Boy those were the days....imagine 70 young guys with girls dressed like that, then that night you got off the bus to the awaiting Drill instructors and 90 days of no girls.....

[pj8708]

Are you sure that's not the ad for Hooters airline? I think the main reason it has changed look at who can fly no vs. who used to fly. Years ago not everyone could afford to fly. Most of the people that did were business men or wealthy people. Now just about anyone can afford to fly. It is much different. Look at how passengers used to dress to fly. Most had on suits or at least dress shirts... I think you also had to keep in mind years ago people were not as sue happy as they are today. I am sure if that we the uniform for a flight attendant today it would be a matter of time before there was someone suing the air line. In 1972 I wasn't born yet Paul :)

It's not nice to remind old people just how old they are. Remember old people have Wills, and can leave younger people nice things.!!!!! :)

Paul

[LEXIRX330]

It's not nice to remind old people just how old they are. Remember old people have Wills, and can leave younger people nice things.!!!!! :)

Paul

I know grandpa :D Just playing around with ya!

[gabep]

SWA was mimicking PSA, the San Diego based carrier that started it. PSA is now part of US Air.

[lenore]

Maybe if they dressed that way there would be less tension on the airplane now....I know in those days it was party time....

[cduluk]

Maybe if they dressed that way there would be less tension on the airplane now....

I agree! Most airlines nowadays charge passengers for the littlest of things, personally i wouldn't mind paying a little extra to be served by one of those ladies. :whistles:

I was born 40 years too late. :(

[LEXIRX330]

Maybe if they dressed that way there would be less tension on the airplane now....

I agree! Most airlines nowadays charge passengers for the littlest of things, personally i wouldn't mind paying a little extra to be served by one of those ladies. :whistles:

I was born 40 years too late. :(

Yea...but what if this guy was in one of those outfits!

[cduluk]

Maybe if they dressed that way there would be less tension on the airplane now....

I agree! Most airlines nowadays charge passengers for the littlest of things, personally i wouldn't mind paying a little extra to be served by one of those ladies. :whistles:

I was born 40 years too late. :(

Yea...but what if this guy was in one of those outfits!

Haha, Ok you've got a point there.

I guess the 70's outfits wouldn't work in today's world, since a modern day airline can't hire ONLY skinny, young, attractive stewardesses... because of the whole equal opportunity thing... I'm sure the majority of today's women might have issues even "fitting" in one of those "hot pants" or "go-go boots". And men... well, that just wouldn't work!

I don't know how Hooters gets away with it in today's world. If they can do it, airlines should as well.

[nc211]

George Carlin's "in preparation for landing, please return your stewardess to her full and up-right position" comedy bit wasn't without its merit sometimes, many miles ago. Now , if you pull that crap, you'll hear "don't tase me bro" somewhere in the cabin.

What I want to know, is if that's the same plane still being used by SW today? Same color scheme...kind of scary to think about!

[cduluk]

What I want to know, is if that's the same plane still being used by SW today? Same color scheme...kind of scary to think about!

AH, now that i know. :D

The Boeing 737 in the first and second videos are of the second generation 737, the 737-200 series- which they no longer fly (since 2005). Now they fly only the 737-300, 737-500 and 737-700 which had some upgrades, specifically to the engines. They did lease a Boeing 727 at one point in the late 70's (my favorite plane). But other than that, they only fly 737's.

In the second video you can notice all the smoke coming from the engines after the plane flies over her head (common to the older engines)... pretty scary how low the emissions standards were back then.

[sublexusgrl]

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Hooters+Air+%28Pace+Airlines%29

no discussion of uniforms though ;) Is Hooter's Air still around??

jen

[pj8708]

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=Hooters+Air+%28Pace+Airlines%29

no discussion of uniforms though ;) Is Hooter's Air still around??

jen

Looks like they're alive and well.

http://airlines.ws/hooters-airline/

Paul

[gabep]

Great little airline.

http://www.jetpsa.com/stewgrad/stewgrad.html

[pj8708]

Regardless of the uniform, male or female, I'd be happy if they would just smile at you like they used to. Now when you ask for something they snarl. I know flights are crowded but geezz!

Paul

[cduluk]

Great little airline.

http://www.jetpsa.com/stewgrad/stewgrad.html

I still think Southwest had Pacific Southwest beat on the outfits. <_<

PSA:

and SWA:

Actually, i think they beat Hooters Air!!

[sublexusgrl]

Great little airline.

http://www.jetpsa.com/stewgrad/stewgrad.html

I still think Southwest had Pacific Southwest beat on the outfits. <_<

PSA:

and SWA:

Actually, i think they beat Hooters Air!!

Haha, we will give hooters the benefit of the doubt that pic was an unfortunate "bad hooter girl day". We all have them ;)

jen

[intakerGS]

Regardless of the uniform, male or female, I'd be happy if they would just smile at you like they used to. Now when you ask for something they snarl. I know flights are crowded but geezz!

That does remind of this incident:

It doesn’t take much to get thrown off an airplane these days, as Kyla Ebbert found out when a Southwest Airlines employee told her she was too bare for the air. Two months later, she’s still trying to figure out what was wrong with her outfit. It was a lot more clothing than the 23-year-old college student wears on her job as a Hooters waitress. She was wearing this:

[gabep]

You must have missed the PSA pics of the hot pants. They have a jacket on for the pic but the hot pants were shorter than SWA.

[lenore]

I remember the girls would bend over to give drinks to fellow passengers and their bottoms said property of PSA....