In 1958, when Mary Pat Laffey Inman became a flight attendant — as they were called — for Northwest Airlines, she was 20 years old and the clock was already ticking. At 32 she would be forced to retire. That is, if she didn’t get married, get pregnant, or even gain too much weight before that: Everything was grounds for termination. It was the golden age of aviation for everyone, except perhaps the women who served in-flight meals to the well-dressed passengers.
Six years later, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and female flight attendants began to join forces against sexism.
In 1970, Mrs. Laffey Inman, a union leader and Northwest’s first female flight attendant—the chief flight attendant—led a class action suit, Laffey v. Northwest Airlines Inc., which resulted in the airline paying more than $30 million in damages and back wages in 1985. It also set the precedent for nondiscriminatory hiring of flight attendants throughout the industry. But even then, not everything changed: flight attendants at some airlines were still subject to “weigh-ins” into the 1990s. (Northwest merged with Delta Air Lines in 2008.)
Now, decades after the landmark decision, Ms. Laffey Inman, 86, is one of several former flight attendants featured in “Fly With Me,” an “American Experience” documentary that chronicles how the women fought to overcome discrimination in the aviation industry. It will premiere on PBS on February 20. The New York Times spoke to Ms. Laffey Inman about how she made history. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What inspired your career in the airline industry?
I was working at Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh. I have always wanted to travel, ever since I was a child. As a flight attendant, I could travel — all expenses paid. I thought it was great. Other flight attendants and I laugh about how lucky we were in the industry at that time. We would be bidding on a three day holiday to Paris, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo. A limousine would be there to pick you up and take you to the hotel.
What did education include at that time?
The flight attendants had a six week session where we learned about the airline and had emergency and safety training. We learned the commands to use in an emergency. And we had grooming classes — women came in and taught us how to do makeup and polish our nails.
Aside from keeping up appearances, how was sexism evident in the industry?
When I started, senior flight attendants talked about younger men being recruited to be in charge of the aircraft and crew, bypassing flight attendants who had been flying for quite some time. They discussed it in whispers or sometimes not whispers. He was always a bone of contention. Men were elected to positions that controlled the union and did the bargaining. Flight attendants couldn’t really see the job as a career because we had to quit when we got married or when we were 32. That was always in the back of your mind.
How did you become the first female grandmaster?
In 1968, Northwest hired four off-road men to gri-gri. I called the labor relations manager and said, “You have to post this offer!” When they did, many women were intimidated, but I applied and got the job.
How were the duties of flight attendants different in the 1960s?
We had to work with military aviation contracts. In emergency situations, the US military has the right to commandeer aircraft to be used on a military base. We flew to Vietnam quite often during the Tet Offensive in 1968. I was a veteran, but I was new and had no seniority, so I was assigned to those flights. We would bring 165 soldiers to Okinawa, then take them to Vietnam and bring 165 back — hopefully. We got in and out of Vietnam as fast as possible because there were missiles going back and forth.
Taking over a giant corporation is no easy feat, especially as a young woman in the 1960s.
We had no legal leg to stand on until the Civil Rights Act, which included sex discrimination. This was our rebirth.
What role did you play?
In 1967, I became union leader at Northwest and negotiated the first non-discrimination contract with the airline. We could prove that female flight attendants had equal skills and responsibilities. Then we brought back the flight attendants who were fired because they were over 32, or because they were overweight, or because they were married.
How did you end up in a class action lawsuit?
In 1969, negotiations for the next contract began. The negotiating committee was dominated by men. I was expecting changes, but Northwest refused to include language that would treat women gri-gris the same as men. I spoke to an employment lawyer who said we had a case. Ultimately, 70 percent of the union signed on. The airline dragged it out for 15 years — took it to the Supreme Court twice, but the case went to the Federal Court of Appeals, where Ruthie Bader Ginsburg was the judge who wrote the opinion in our favor.
At the time you filed the lawsuit, did you have any idea the impact you would have on the industry — and on history?
No, I was just looking for pay equity. I wasn’t thinking 40 or 50 years ahead. I just hoped that every step on the judicial ladder would go well for us.
As for flying today, with the many reports of bad passenger behavior on flights and the stress it causes the crew, what do you think can be done to improve flying?
I wish someone would pass a law to expand the seats. This is one of the reasons there is so much tension.
Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and subscribe to the Travel Dispatch weekly newsletter to get expert advice on smarter travel and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming of a future getaway or just an armchair trip? Take a look at ours 52 places to go in 2024.
