Here’s a story that will capture your heart and definitely your interest. Fleeting Moments of Pan Am Memories written by Michelle da Silva Richmond captures her story torn between two lovers with Pan Am as your backdrop. 

On this show I’m taking a walk down memory lane and going back to not only my days as a Pan American World Airways flight attendant, but my guest Michelle de Silva Richmond will share her memories too.

I’ve been asked what was it like working for Pan Am…. The airline is known for so many aviation firsts and the legendary airline is often used in movies, photos of stewardess and stewards during earlier days.  

But the question what was Working for Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) like? Well, that was glamour on wings. It was the golden age of jet travel, and Pan Am wasn’t just an airline—it was a cultural icon. Think: tailored uniforms, five-course meals, multiple meals services, even in coach, and stewardesses fluent in multiple languages, gliding down the aisles like airborne ambassadors.

And for those of us working as stewardess, Stewarts and flight attendants – Appearance mattered—big time. Height, weight, age – especially in the earlier years was a determining factor in not only being hired, but also how long you worked.  In the earlier Pan Am days, stewardess resigned once they were married. Being poised  was all part of the job description. But it wasn’t just about the glamour… make no mistake, we were well trained in  safety and emergency procedures. 

Michelle and I lived a dream life, filled with adventure, meeting extraordinary people, learning about different cultures and food – and of course there was love. Michelle shares her story.

Michelle has been a freelance travel writer for many years. Travel has always been in her blood. She was raised in different countries from the age of two. Her father’s career took them to many countries. Travel was in her blood for sure. She was always interested in writing.  She worked for Pan Am starting in 1970’s and worked with the airlines traveling to South & central America, the Caribbean and Europe.  After Pan Am she wanted to keep traveling and write about.  She has co-authored guide book and contribtored  guidebooks.  She was the travel editor of an English language paper in Mexico City where she lived for 20 years.

She also writes for several online and print publications as a freelancer.  She heading next to Cancun to update some hotels and taking a Viking cruise and Portugal later in the year.

Here’s a little more about Pan Am:

Training was intense. Flight attendants learned emergency procedures, but also fine wine service, etiquette, and international customs.

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• Travel perks? Unreal. They globe-trotted to exotic places—Tokyo, Rome, Nairobi—on the company pass. It was freedom with a paycheck and ticket to see the world. 
  
• Culture of prestige. Being a Pan Am stewardess was so iconic that Hollywood and Madison Avenue practically made them celebrities. And, we were welcomed around the world, 
  
• Pilots as one author put it in the title of his book gods of the sky. Skygods: The Fall of Pan Am by Robert Gandt, which delves into the history and decline of Pan American World Airways. The term “Skygods” in the title refers to the airline’s pilots, who were often regarded with a near-mythical status during the golden age of aviation.
  
• Pan Am captains were among the best-trained and best-paid in the world, often military veterans.
  
• They flew glamorous long-haul international routes on the cutting-edge Boeing 747—the “Queen of the Skies,” which Pan Am introduced in 1970.
  

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• Headquarters in the Pan Am Building in New York was not just a based of international activity, the building was a landmark, sitting at 200 Park Avenue, directly above Grand Central Terminal, right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.
  

the Pan Am Building was one of the largest office buildings in the world and an unmistakable part of the New York skyline. The Pan Am logo, perched at the top in massive illuminated letters, became an international symbol of prestige and jet-set travel. The building remains – but today the logo is gone and replaced by Met life

From it’s start on October 19, 1927 by Juan Trippe, a Yale-educated aviation entrepreneur with a taste for expansion was set on taking the airline to the world with Clipper Flying Boats.  Its first route? A short hop from Key West, Florida to Havana, Cuba—mainly to deliver U.S. mail. That’s right, way before it UPS….. a tropical UPS.

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• Pan Am was America to many around the world ……it was the unofficial flag carrier of the U.S.
  
• The airline struggled with rising fuel costs, and deregulation beginning in the late ’70s and struggle to stay alive …..Pan American World Airways officially ceased operations on December 4, 1991, at approximately 9:04 a.m. Eastern Time.
  

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• That morning, after 64 years of service, Pan Am shut its doors for good.
  
• Flight Pan Am 436, from Bridgetown, Barbados to Miami, landed at 6:45 a.m., becoming the airline’s final flight.
  

The shutdown came after a long financial tailspin, fueled by several major events:

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• The Lockerbie bombing (1988)
  
• The loss of its profitable Pacific routes
  
• An ill-fated merger with National Airlines
  
• The Gulf War’s impact on international travel
  
• And a last-ditch deal with Delta Air Lines, which fell apart just before the collapse
  

The airline’s wings were clipped …. not with a bang, but with heartbreak—employees crying at ticket counters, loyal travelers stunned, and a legend grounded for good.

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• Pan Am’s flights around the world may have landed, but the legend never dies – Pan Am held significance not only as an aviation icon but also as a cultural icon, with its aviation history intricately linked to numerous culturally significant events. The airline played a role in transporting film stars and even featured its Clipper jets in movies. During WWII the US Govt. leaned heavily on Pan Am for not only transportation but military intelligence. First around-the-world flights. First to offer computerized reservation systems and Launched the jumbo aircraft … the  Boeing 747 in 1970 .  Pan Am also served as a means of transportation for presidents and politicians and was involved in humanitarian efforts like ‘Operation Babylift,’ which involved the evacuation of more than 3,000 infants from Vietnam.  
  

And, back to the question what was it like Working for Pan Am  – it was like being part of a jet-setting secret society. We  had the best view…..  it was a worldview from our office from 35,000 feet in the sky….