Unfortunately there’s a sad development when it comes to one of American Airlines’ most well-known employees…
88-year-old flight attendant passes away
I’ve written in the past about Bette Nash, who was American’s longest serving flight attendant. The 88-year-old started her career as a flight attendant in 1957, meaning she had been flying for 67 years. She was even recognized by Guinness World Records for being the world’s longest serving flight attendant.
Unfortunately there’s now a sad update. Several months ago I had heard that Bette had stopped flying, and was diagnosed with breast cancer. Unfortunately she has now lost that battle, and American has confirmed her passing.
My thoughts are with Bette’s family. She really seemed to be a great, positive person, and was loved by passengers. There were many stories about her over the years, and she was always inspiring in terms of the attitude she had toward her job. As she always said, everyone just wants a little attention, and she tried to give it to them.
While most senior flight attendants prefer to work long haul flights, Bette spent most of her career just flying up and down the East Coast, so that she could be home with her family most nights.
Other notable long-serving airline employees
While Bette was American’s longest serving flight attendant, she wasn’t the company’s longest serving employee. At least in 2022, American’s most senior employee was a 96-year-old mechanic, Azriel “Al” Blackman, who had worked at the airline for 80 years. The airline even named a plane after him.
For that matter, while Bette was the most senior flight attendant in the world in terms of the number of years she flew, she wasn’t the oldest. In 2016, 90-year-old Delta flight attendant Bob Reardon was forced to retire, after 63 years at the airline. Unfortunately it sounds like he didn’t leave on good terms with the airline.
Bottom line
American Airlines’ most senior flight attendant has just passed away. She was flying up until recently, but unfortunately lost the battle to cancer. It’s remarkable to think that she worked as a flight attendant for 67 years. My thoughts are with Bette’s family. What a loss.
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.