Flight attendants through the ages

On the 150th anniversary of the Royal Aeronautical Society, we look at how the duties and fashions of flight attendants have changed...

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While traditionally considered a role for women, the first flight attendants were all male. Britain's Imperial Airways employed "cabin boys" or "stewards" in the Twenties, and fliers had to wait until 1930 for the first "stewardess" - 25-year-old Ellen Church, hired by United Airlines.

April 6, 1929: A cabin steward serves drinks to the passengers on an early French airliner providing a service to and from Le Bourget. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Picture: GETTY