In 2017, American Airlines flight attendant Bette Nash, 81, greeted passengers disembarking from her daily flight to Boston at Reagan Washington Airport.
Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images
hide title
Switch title
Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images
The aviation community is mourning the loss of Bette Nash, a Washington, D.C., flight attendant who served passengers in the skies for nearly seven decades and made history along the way, after she died earlier this month.
Nash began her career at the now-defunct Eastern Airlines in 1957 at the age of 21, when Dwight Eisenhower was president and flights between New York and Washington cost For $12, “flight attendants” (as they’re called) serve lobster platters on board and hand out cigarettes.
The industry has changed dramatically during Nash’s tenure, especially with the introduction of technology (e.g. no more handwritten tickets). American Airlines eventually took over some of Eastern Airlines’ routes.
But, as she said when celebrating her 60th anniversary of service in 2017, the joy of the job remains.
“For many years, my favorite part of flying was greeting passengers as they boarded and deplaned,” Nash said at the time. “The people were really charming and it was a real joy.”
Nash has become increasingly well-known on American Airlines flights in recent years, especially on shuttle flights between Washington and Boston, where the company affectionately calls it “Nash Dash.” She prefers this route because it allows her to spend time caring for her son, who has Down syndrome.
Nash won the Guinness World Record for the longest-serving flight attendant in 2022, having served for more than 64 years.
She never officially retired, according to ABC News. She was reportedly recently diagnosed with breast cancer and died in hospice at the age of 88.
American Airlines confirmed her death in a statement over the weekend. It called her “a legend in America and throughout the industry who inspired generations of flight attendants.”
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants also expressed condolences for Nash’s passing, saying she “touched countless lives with her passion, dedication and unparalleled service” during her extraordinary career.
“Her passion for flying and commitment to our passengers is truly inspiring,” the union representing thousands of American Airlines flight attendants continued. “Betty’s legacy will forever be remembered by the aviation community and all those who were lucky enough to know her.”
Historic career highlights
A photo of Nash as an Eastern Airlines flight attendant in the late 1950s.
James M. Thresher/TWP
hide title
Switch title
James M. Thresher/TWP
Nash was inspired to become a flight attendant when she first flew from Washington, D.C., to Dayton, Ohio, as a teenager.
According to American Airlines, she “fell in love with the crew’s ‘good looks and elegant demeanor'” and followed suit a few years later.
In the late 1950s, when her career began, passengers bought life insurance at airport vending machines and paid for their tickets on the plane, ABC affiliate WJLA reported.
Flight attendants were required to wear gloves — a colleague remembers Nash always carrying two pairs in case one got dirty — and be weighed before their shifts.
“It used to be scary,” Nash told WJLA in 2017. “You gain a few pounds, you have to keep weighing yourself, and then if you keep doing that, they’ll take you off the payroll!”
According to American Airlines, Nash served many famous passengers over the years, including Jacqueline Kennedy. But she says her most memorable encounters weren’t with big-name celebrities.
When interviewed by a travel website in 2019 Point master, Nash recalled an instance from decades ago, before the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, when a disabled passenger was left at the gate while boarding a plane while the crew argued about what to do. She said she helped him board the plane and fed him during the flight because he couldn’t use his hands.
In 2017, American Airlines celebrated Nash’s “Diamond Jubilee” with a celebration at Nash’s hometown, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, just outside Washington, D.C.
The company gave her a pair of diamond earrings to commemorate her 60th anniversary and donated $10,000 to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church Food Bank, a cause it said she frequently supported.
Nash said at the time that she had no plans to hang up her wings anytime soon.
“As long as I’m healthy and I’m capable, why not work?” she said. “It’s still fun.”
