Interview conducted by Mauree Jane Perry on May 20, 1999.
The interview describes Ms. Fiser’s experiences as a flight attendant / air hostess for TWA (Trans World Airlines) ,1953 to 1963; hiring process and the qualities that TWA sought in its flight attendants; training in Kansas City, MO, including safety training, hospitality, and aesthetics such as hairstyle, manicures, makeup, and clothing; TWA’s use of the term “hostess” rather than “stewardess”; Martin 202 and 404, the Lockheed Constellation, and the Boeing 707; routes including New York to Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Paris, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Madrid, Rome, Athens, and Ireland; San Francisco to Chicago, Phoenix, and other cities; brief description of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in the 1950s; satisfaction with TWA as an employer, thoughts about the flight attendants’ union, the 1986 Independent Federation of Flight Attendants (IFFA) strike, and Carl Icahn’s role in the strike; anecdotes about President Harry Truman and Bess Truman, Senator Estes Keefauver, Joe DiMaggio, Peter Lawford, Randolph Churchill (grandson of Winston Churchill), Irving Berlin, and Ted Williams; in-flight incidents; her work during flights; continued training for jet flight and international flight; experiences as a member of Clipped Wings, service as president in 1979, and the impact of the 1986 strike on its membership.
Comments and Suggestions click to expand