Bette Nash, world’s longest-serving flight attendant, dies at 88

Bette Nash, holder of the Guinness World Record for longest-serving flight attendant, has died at the age of 88, according to statements from American Airlines and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

“We mourn the passing of Bette Nash, who spent nearly seven decades warmly caring for our customers in the air,” American Airlines said in a statement posted to X.

“She started in 1957 and held the Guinness World Record for longest-serving flight attendant. Bette inspired generations of flight attendants. Fly high, Bette.”

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), the union representing flight attendants in the United States, posted its own tribute to Nash on Facebook.

“Bette’s remarkable career spanned over six decades, during which she touched countless lives with her warmth, dedication and unparalleled service,” said the post.

“Her passion for flying and her commitment to her passengers were truly inspiring. Bette’s legacy will forever be remembered in the aviation community and by all who had the privilege of knowing her.”

Nash started her lifelong career with the now-defunct Eastern Airlines in Washington, DC, on November 4, 1957.

In 2016, CNN had an opportunity to fly with her on her daily route from Reagan Washington National to Boston Logan on American Airlines. Nash, who was 80 at the time, said the romance and glamor of flying initially attracted her to the job.

“I wanted to be a flight attendant from the time I got on the first airplane – I was 16 years old, I was sitting with my mother on a green leather couch at Washington [Reagan National Airport], and this crew came up from TWA,” she recalled.

“The pilot and the flight attendant walked across the hall and I thought ‘Oh my God,’ and I said that was for me.”

Growing up with the airlines —

Bette Nash, pictured here in 1958 in her Eastern Airlines uniform, has served as a flight attendant for nearly six decades.

Bette Nash (third from left) —

"I wanted to be a flight attendant from the time I got on the first airplane," says Nash. "The pilot and the flight attendant walked across the hall and I thought 'oh my God,' and I said that was for me."

White-gloved glamor —

When she first took flight, planes were a place of luxury -- almost a vacation in itself. It was a sophisticated party in the air, where everyone wore their Sunday best and ate lobster on real china.

The look —

"People called it 'Charm School' in those days," Nash recalls. "They took you to the beauty parlor and cut all your hair off and plucked your eyebrows."

Big hair, hot pants —

Around 1970, Nash explains, the look started getting a little radical, with pantsuits, bold colors, short dresses and really big hair. "At one point we even went to hot pants."

Technological advances —

When Nash first began flying in the '50s, all flight schedules were chalked up on a blackboard, and manuals and regulations came in book form. Pictured: An archive image of incoming and outgoing flights being chalked up circa 1945.

Food service —

"You worked harder physically in those days," Nash recalls. "We served this big meal tray."
Pictured: A Canadian Colonial Airways flight attendant serves food and refreshments in the 1940s.

Flight attendant Bette Nash: 80 years old and still serving

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Nash said she went on to get a college degree, but she never deviated from her dream.

She applied for a job as a stewardess, as flight attendants were then known, shortly after graduating.

“And the rest is history,” she told CNN with a big smile.

According to ABC News,?Nash never officially retired from her role with American Airlines and died on May 17 in hospice care.

From blackboards to tablets, Nash has seen it all

Nash was awarded the Guinness World Record for having the longest career as a flight attendant in early 2022.

“Her career surpasses the last longest flight attendant with 63 years, 61 days as of January 4, 2021,” said the Guinness announcement.

Nash saw many changes in the world of aviation over those six-plus decades of flight, telling CNN planes were places of luxury when she started flying, a time when everyone wore their Sunday best and ate lobster on real china.

“You worked harder physically in those days,” said Nash. “We served this big meal tray. And I was the only one on the plane, so I had to take care of everybody.”

“Bette’s remarkable career spanned over six decades, during which she touched countless lives with her warmth, dedication and unparalleled service,” said the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.

But the biggest changes she witnessed over the years related to technology. When Nash first began flying, all flight schedules were chalked up on a blackboard, and manuals and regulations came in book form.

Eventually, those papers were replaced with tablets – which she says was a big adjustment.

“Technology really made the difference of, ‘Am I going to stay or am I going to go?’” she said.

“But even when I think I might retire or something, then I come to work and think, ‘Oh, I couldn’t do that.’ It’s stimulating coming out here. The airlines are evolving continuously, and you have to evolve with them.”

Read more about Nash’s incredible career here.

CNN’s Michelle Cohan contributed to this report.