They also carried baggage, took passenger tickets, checked for gasoline leaks,
But on May 15,
1930, everything changed when Boeing Air Transport introduced the first female
flight attendants. These women, called air stewardesses, attempted to make
passengers more comfortable, offering them water, a sandwich, and sometimes
chewing gum to help relieve ear discomfort. They also carried baggage, took passenger tickets, checked for gasoline leaks,
and tidied up the cabin after a flight. Ellen Church, a registered
nurse, is credited with convincing Steve Stimpson, manager of Boeing's San
Francisco office, that women could work in a role previously limited to men.
She persuaded the company that nurses were best able to tend to ailing
passengers. Thus, nurses aboard the Boeing Model 80 became the first female
flight attendants, for the salary of $125 per month. American Airlines began
using stewardesses in 1933, and other airlines soon followed, although Pan
American resisted the trend until 1944.