Eternal Flight: Remembering Bette Nash, the Longest-Serving Flight Attendant in History

In 1957, at the age of 21, Bette Nash began her career as a flight attendant with Eastern Airlines, the predecessor of American Airlines. Initially, she only planned to work for a few years in the field before moving on to another job. However, she quickly fell in love with her role and found particular enjoyment in her route between Washington DC and Boston, which allowed her to return home each night.

Over the next nearly seven decades, Nash became an inspiration to generations of flight attendants and a familiar face to frequent flyers on her preferred route. Despite being a stalwart in the industry, she never officially retired from her position. Instead, she continued to work until her death on May 17th at the age of 88 after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Nash’s legacy in the aviation industry will always be remembered as she held the Guinness World Record for longest-serving flight attendant. Her warm and caring personality touched the hearts of many throughout her long career and left a lasting impact on those she encountered. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants expressed their sadness over Nash’s passing and extended their condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time.