Existing comment:
Early Pilot and Flight Attendant Uniforms
Boeing S-307 Stratoliner Pilots
National Air and Space Museum Archives
By the early 1930s, airlines were introducing distinctive uniforms for their employees, and women were entering the ranks of flight attendants.
Pilots were given military-style uniforms to reflect their status. Pan American emulated luxurious ocean liner service by calling its flying boats "Clippers" and its pilots "Captains," and attiring its crews in naval-style uniforms with white hats and navy-blue, double-breasted jackets and rank insignia on the sleeve cuffs. Other airlines followed suit. Many of these customs continue today.
While Pan Am and other airlines employed men as stewards, Boeing Air Transport introduced the first female stewards.
Ships of the Air
Pan American was the first airline to use nautical terms. Words like "captain" and "stewards" attracted customers used to luxury ship travel. |