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Service + Stewardesses + Advertising
About the service of famous Air-India in the past, the renowned R.E.G. Davies has written in ‘Airlines of Asia’: “The flair with which Air-India International promoted its on-board service was directly attributable to a genius of the art of public relations promotion. Bobby Kooka will long be remembered for his introduction of the Little Maharajah symbol of on-board graciousness, and for the little booklets distributed to the clientele. These contained useful hints such as to transfer your wife and wallet to a non-aisle seat when the captain approached …” Later seat pre-reservation exclusively for women was reported. Also other facts are important. Nevertheless a certain level of service remained standard on long-distance flights. Also in the Soviet Union in the past, Aeroflot has offered that good standard on intercontinental routes (as the author has experienced it on a Moscow – Jakarta flight in 1975). Additionally, airlines are the only regular means of transport that offer booking facilities global by Internet-connected reservation systems, luggage handling, extra services for disabled persons and unaccompanied children (Air China placed our grandchildren even in First Class), hotel reservation and pre-booked car rental. Gastronomy While railways’ dining-cars have become rare, roughly four million meals are served daily in the air. Not only the menus distinguished the airlines, but also the dining sets, created by renowned designers, e.g. for Lufthansa in the 80s by Wolf Karnagel. After 9/11 however, even the Concorde cutlery was replaced by plastics. Initially, the Air France Concorde menus had been created by famous Paul Bocuse. Award-winning airlines continued to commission three-star chefs for creating the menus, nevertheless the notorious faultfinder has not vanished. May be he would need every day an Air France Concorde menu (and still he could miss the French cheese plate): Petits Hors-d’Oeuvres Riches Caille en Gelée Chevassu Escalope de Veau Jurassienne/ Palets de Pommes de Terre/ Morilles à la Crème Délice Chocolat à la Pistache Fruits
“Talking about in-flight eats, the long running debate who provided the first airline meals continues”, wrote Flight Intl (June12, 2012), quoting R. Reis: “In-flight meals, he says, were first served in 1912, on board flights of the Zeppelin LZ-10 Schwaben by the world’s first air steward, Heinrich Kubis.” Diner services aboard planes started in 1927 on Air Union Paris – London flights by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits et des Grands Express Europeens (and the later Wagons-Lits historian Roger Commault was among the first flight staff). Deutsche Luft Hansa introduced the gastronomic service by the ‘Flugbegleiter’ (not yet stewardesses) aboard the Junkers G.31, flying Berlin - Paris in 1928. For the rare G.38 (with a twin-deck fuselage and viewing places in the wing), from 1932 employed between Berlin and London, the service by Mitropa was praised, the German competitor against Wagons-Lits. In contrast to the service aboard a ship, the menu for each passenger generally is prepared and packed by the caterer and delivered to the plane by container. The final work is done in the galley on board, traditionally placed in front or in the rear of the cabin. When the size of aircraft got bigger, a large central galley on the lower deck of the B.747 or the TriStar was tried. However, as it reduced the space for cargo accommodation, distributing small galleys on the passenger deck became standard. On long-haul flights, some gastronomic service must be a standard if the planes should not decline like Europe’s migrant workers’ trains of the past. On economic reasons, food service at least on domestic flights had to be drastically reduced. Renowned airlines, e.g. Delta, United and others, have started to offer breakfast or menus paid on credit-card. Delta worked out the concept together with famous chef Todd English as a consultant. On short-to-medium haul flights the “no frills” concept is logic, despite enraging some naggers. When Lufthansa had given away certain routes to its no-frills daughter Germanwings, the magazine Der Spiegel (16/ 2013) – in the past considered socialist – criticized (or rather joked?): “In row 11 begins the ‘Elend’ (slum). Snacks or a bottle of water cost extra ...” Even worse: For pets “there are only cold snacks, on account of lacking furnaces.” Let’s the noble standard carriers make losses at taxpayers’ expense, that’s socialism. Or is it that “victimism”, mocked by the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk under the term “Advokato-Medikokratie”? An industry of its own is catering. Outsourcing catering can be a profitable business sector. One example: At Munich airport, LSG Sky Chefs (a Lufthansa affiliate) served years ago 50 airlines. GateGourmet provided meals for 40 flights, including Air France and Delta. Renowned Attila Dogudan (DO & CO) of Vienna served Lauda, Austrian, British, Turkish Airlines and Royal Air Maroc (source: M Terminal, 2004). Facing low-cost competition, restructuring caterers became a necessity – and in 2005 a widening strike at London Heathrow, initiated by the staff of GateGourmet, affected more than 100,000 passengers, so reported by the media. Then GateGourmet became Gategroup, reportedly swallowed by the HNA Group of China.
Lounges and other Amenities At the beginning of the Jumbo era in the 70s, leading airlines equipped the 747’s upper deck with a 1st class lounge, and Pan Am then even with a 1st class restaurant. Continental’s 747s offered the Polynesian Pub for coach passengers on the main deck and the 1st class Oceana lounge on the upper deck. Eastern and TWA had standup bars aboard the TriStars. Then, with growing passenger numbers even the 1st class lounges gave room to more seats. When IATA’s price fixing policy had induced airlines to compete otherwise, some US carriers introduced live entertainment in the economy class where lounges were outlawed. American offered piano bars on trans-continental 747 flights. A TWA official criticized it and reported an incident “where a child played endlessly ‘Happy Birthday’ on the piano, driving everyone from the lounge”. Later, VietJet had another idea. For opening a new holiday route an on-board ‘Hawaiian Dance Show’ with nice exotic girls was arranged – but then the airline had to pay a fee to the authorities, fortunately only around $1,000 (so reported by Die Welt, Aug14, 2012). Another sort of service is gambling on board, using even Jumbo jets, registered with Las Vegas Sands and Macao Sands... The Wall Street Journal has informed: “In 2005, nine European and Asian airlines rolled out services that let passengers connect their laptops or handheld computing devices to the Internet via a broad-band wireless, or Wi-Fi, connection.” Connexion, a Boeing subsidiary, and OnAir, a joint-venture with Airbus, were pioneers relying on satellite transmission. Various in-flight connectivity service providers followed. “For data security, the A350 has a two-part software architecture – the ‘core domain’ for flight-critical systems, and the ‘extension domain’ that includes the A380-inspired in-flight entertainment system” (Flight Intl, Oct23, 2007). In October 2009 two pilots on a Northwest flight had already ‘mixed’ flying with distraction and overflew the destination Minneapolis by 130 miles… Stewardesses Last, but not least, the stewardesses have become part of the airlines’ corporate identity – and no other means of transport has brought about such a symbol. In America, Ellen Church of United was described being the first stewardess in 1932. Many famous standard carriers preferred the stewardesses’ serious classic style. Braniff under leadership of Harding Lawrence, consulted by Mary Wells, who married him, was the first which started avant-garde fashion design with Emilio Pucci from Italy. TWA surprised in 1968 with its Dalton-designed hostess outfit. Various looks on various airlines followed, from traditional to mini, retro to local, Balenciaga to Armani. “The central aisle of the aeroplane became a catwalk and the outfits pleased the stewardesses and passengers alike”, commented Peter Delius and Jacek Slaski in their book ‘Airline Design’. Even when the fashion (and many textile factories) collapsed in the 70s, the stewardesses remained well clothed. And also in the new century stewardesses are the angels of the sky, and angels are beautifully dressed…
In the past, UTA was possibly the first airline to present black stewardesses with its advertisements already during the prop age. Air Jamaica followed in the years of the early jets. When South African Airways employed in 1981 for the first time black stewardesses, conservative whites did raise furious protests. Japan Airlines introduced the Kimono in the skies and the reactions were more peaceful. Pan American was so impressed by the Japanese politeness that on every Pacific flight there had to be one stewardess from Japan. The “Singapore Girls”, clothed by Pierre Balmain, the wonderful Air India stewardesses in their traditional Sari, and black beauties from Air Afrique became legendary. Finally also Aeroflot caught up with new uniforms by Viktoria Adrianova, a popular Russian designer. In the Soviets’ East Germany however, the nice stewardesses were in a disadvantage: When an Interflug pilot was married with a stewardess, they were not allowed to be aboard the same plane on a flight to a Western country, in order to prevent the couple from fleeing. Another way went some Asian airline, said to fire its nice girls when they’re 26. Bad luck if they had not yet won their match like Mimi, the Olympic Airways stewardess who had married the Prime Minister. Emirates’ stewardesses, clothed by Paco Rabanne, Thai and Malaysia girls, Etihad’s ladies, but also nice stewardesses from the Americas or Europe, e.g. of Aegean and many others became eyecatchers at the airports. And in 2016 the Athens airport magazine praised Alitalia’s new uniforms, “created by Italian haute couture designer Ettore Billotta, who was inspired by the glamorous golden days of 1950s and 1960s Italian fashion …”
But also the polite stewards should not be forgotten. “Since September, Muzi Hlatshwayo’s working hours are of an unusual regularity”, reported the magazine ‘Motion’ of Munich Airport in 2014, continuing: “Almost every Friday the flight attendant of South African Airways departs by night flight from Johannesburg to Munich together with his female colleagues Monggie Thlapane and Frieda Makoba …” Upon the question how they’ll pass the hours in Munich, they gave an astonishing answer: “We rehearse for the premiere of an opera.” The most sensational story was published by media (e.g. Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Jan19) in 2018: Aboard a Latam airliner, staff member Carlos and stewardess Paula were married by Pope Franciscus…
Advertising The jet age was opened up by BOAC and an elegant folder proclaimed: “The graceful lines of the Comet… the smooth shape born for speed… the perfect streamlining, with wings set well back like a swan’s in flight… these are already a legend …” Pan American continued: “There’s something new under the sun – and high above the earth! It’s Pan American’s 707 Jet Clipper – vanguard of the pure-Jet age and the most revolutionary milestone in the aviation world since the Wright Brothers proved that man could fly! SAS simply boasted: “The DC-8 will turn oceans into lakes”. Pan American proudly presented itself as “World’s most experienced airline” and number two simply stated “This is America: this is TWA”. Pan American’s folder on occasion of the 707 introduction proclaimed: “Even the food tastes finer”. Of course, it had been prepared by Maxim’s of Paris. And TWA’s theme song was “Up up and away with TWA”… During the sixties an ad informed: “Brillat-Savarin, and he knew a bit about men and meals, once said: ‘Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are’…. Flawless taste is part of your unerring skill for picking the best. It’s obvious. You fly with us. You fly Sabena”. Marlene Dietrich, showing her beautiful legs, explained to the readers of Life: “This is the economy class seat in the BOAC VC10”. And BEA advertised: “It takes 22,000 people to get you off the ground”… (decades later, Ryanair’s Michael O’ Leary would have answered, “thank you, BEA”). Olympic Airways recommended: “Be a fastidious gourmet and choose from 19 superb main dishes”, not to forget the “cigarettes, magazines and refreshments at hand”. Lufthansa answered: “No caviar this time, thanks. Instead, a tasty meal of smoked Westphalian ham”. It would harmonize to the drink advertised by Swissair: “Draft beer on board”.
Pakistan International surprised Life’s readers in 1969 by informing: “Lufthansa is a superb way to fly. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t waste our own space saying so. But from time to time you might like a change”… May be a change to Air India, which praised India’s 5000 years old tradition in hospitality and informed that “… the interior of the 747 is a unique mural”. Garuda proclaimed: “Every airline gives you a seat. We give you somewhere to stand up. It’s our bar, in Executive Class, situated in the spacious nose of our 747s”. And JAL announced its “Teahouse in the Sky”. Aeroflot confined during the communist past its advertising mostly to timetable information. Now the dark years of communism and the threatening Soviet KGB intelligence service are a matter of the past and so Austrian could praise in 2007 its many flights to the East as “The most tightly-knit network in the East since the KGB.” Emirates proclaimed the modern way of time-saving: “The terracotta Warriors of Xian have been standing in line since 250 B.C. But there’s no need to join them. For a limited time, check-in online and earn 500 bonus Skywards Miles”. Low-cost flights brought another change in advertising. In Italy, Che Guevara was used by Meridian for announcing “revolutionary” tariffs, whilst Sigmund Freud psychologically recommended the hospitality of traditional Air Dolomiti.
Fiction and poetry about travel in bygone days, from the “Bounty” to the depressive stories of the early 20th century, have filled the bookshelves, paintings of old trains by William Turner, Claude Monet or Paul Delvaux are treasures of the museums and the sailing “Flying Dutchman” even became an opera. For billions of people air travel has become reality. Traditional arts however did scarcely discover that miracle of the 20th century. May be ads are the arts of our time…
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