Flight Attendant Breaks Record After Flying For 65 Years

When most of us are 86 years old, we hope to just be around and enjoy life. There are some who are up in their 80s, however, who are not only enjoying their golden years, they are setting records for doing so.

That is the case with Bette Nash, who got her start flying the skies in the 1950s. According to an American Airlines press release, she was only a teenager at the time and took the flight out of Reagan National Airport.

She absolutely loved the way that the crewmembers looked and acted, so she got started in that career.

At first, she worked on the crew with Eastern Airlines, which eventually became American Airlines. These days, she is still working in the industry and has now set a world record. It was a record that was 65 years in the making.

Consider the fact that you could buy an airline ticket for only $12 when Nash first began her career with the airline. They even had vending machines where you could buy life insurance before you got on board.

Nash can’t help but look back on those days with a bit of nostalgia. She even remembers a time when the Kennedys were on board and she served lobster while wearing white gloves.

Of course, the experience associated with flying has certainly improved over the years. This includes the way that the crewmembers are treated.

For example, anyone working as a flight attendant had to remain single back in the day. It was rumored that Nash was living with a man, and people from the airline showed up at her home unexpectedly to verify that she was living alone. She also had to have her weight taken periodically to make sure that she was within the limits.

Considering the fact that she has been a flight attendant for so long, she has often had the opportunity to choose her flights. Throughout her career, she has flown the New York to Washington DC to Boston shuttle. It allows her to be home at night and to care for her son, who has a disability.

After working for the airline for some 65 years, she says that she still enjoys being a flight attendant. In her words: “It’s just been the perfect career path. It’s given my love of people an outlet, and I like to think I’ve given good service to others.”

She also enjoys having short conversations with those who are on board. In only a few minutes, she is able to learn about what they do for a living, where they are traveling and even a little about their personal life.

Now that Nash has broken the Guinness World Record for having the longest career as a flight attendant, she plans to continue to fly. She said in the press release that as long as she is healthy and able to do her work, she still enjoys doing it.

You can see more of Nash and her career in the video below: