Interviewed on February 27, 2020
The interview describes Sally Andersen’s career with Pan American World Airways as a flight attendant, purser, and recruiter from 1973-1975, and 1978-1988, as well as her work with AirCal as a ticket and gate agent from 1975-1978; her decision to work for Pan American, the hiring process, and her training in 1973 at the Miami base, including the emergency and meal service training; first flight from Miami to Jamaica on a Boeing 727; New York base, routes to Monrovia, Dar es Salaam, and Tokyo on the Boeing 707; furlough circumstances in 1975; choice to work for AirCal as a ticket and gate agent, the weight calculations for aircraft, anecdotes about work; re-training in 1978; first flight from Honolulu to Tokyo; routes from the London base, including Middle Eastern routes and the United States east coast; routes from San Francisco base, including Teheran, Hong Kong, New York, London, and Tokyo; ‘round-the-world flights; aircraft including Boeing 747, 747SP, and McDonnell-Douglas DC-10; meal service in first class, including preparation and presentation; three incidents: accidental deployment of emergency chute, a passenger who threatened a purser with a knife, and a thunderstorm; compensation received, hours worked, and effect of seniority on her work; Pan American’s merger with National Airlines, cultural differences between the two companies; atmosphere at Pan American in the mid- to late eighties; her work as a recruiter for Pan American; her work after leaving Pan American in human resources department for Macy’s, Wells Fargo, and DHL Cargo; involvement with World Wings and the Pan Am Historical Foundation.
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