Ann Hood, a New York Times best-selling author, takes readers back to the end of aviation's Golden Age in her memoir "Fly Girl."
The book chronicles her adventurous years as a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines (TWA), a career that began in 1978.
>>> S&P 500 and Nasdaq Hit Records as Fed Signals Single 2024 Rate Cut
Growing up, Hood was inspired by a 1964 book titled "How to Become an Airline Stewardess." Despite its sexist undertones, the promise of seeing the world captivated her.
After college, she applied to airlines during a transitional era for women in the workforce.
"I think 1978 was a really interesting year, because many of the women I went to college with had one foot in old ideas and stereotypes, and the other foot in the future," Hood said.
Strict Rules and Weight Policies
By the late 1970s, some of the worst hiring requirements—such as age limits and dismissal for marriage or pregnancy—had been lifted.
However, other policies remained firmly in place, including a strict weight rule.
"All airlines sent a chart with your application, you looked at your height and the maximum weight and if you did not fall within that, they wouldn't even interview you," Hood recalled.
Once hired, TWA required flight attendants to maintain their exact hiring weight, not just the maximum.
Hood's roommate was fired for failing to meet this standard, a policy that persisted until the 1990s.
Hood was one of 560 flight attendants selected from 14,000 applicants in 1978.
