Jump Seat: 1963-1976: A Stewardess’ Memoir

You’ve booked your flight and arrived at the airport, ready for your trip. Just imagine arriving minutes before your flight and being able to board the plane, walking to your gate without going through TSA, lighting up a cigarette on board, and eating a free meal—in coach. Sound crazy? Not if you traveled during the 1960s and early 1970s, when Janet Angell was a flight attendant. Jump Seat is Angell’s candid memoir about a time when plane travel was still a luxury for most and flight attendants were called stewardesses. Angell grew up on a farm in Minnesota and always dreamt of seeing the world. After college she hoped to travel for a year before settling down to teach. Her ticket to being able to afford that was to work for an airline. Instead she worked as a stewardess for Northwest Orient Airlines for almost thirteen years. While Angell recounts some of Northwest’s restrictive policies, she mostly recalls that period as one of the best times of her life. Her take on it is quite different than Coffee, Tea or Me? portrayed. She was able to travel the world both on and off the job. She met famous travelers like Jimmy Hoffa (a regular), Bobby Kennedy, and Diana Ross…all in a day’s work. Board Jump Seat, buckle your seat belt, sit back, and relax with this entertaining read—and return to a time when flying was fun.