Bette Nash, holder of the Guinness World Record for longest-serving flight attendant, has died at the age of 88, according to statements from American Airlines and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA). “We mourn the passing of Bette Nash, who spent nearly seven decades warmly caring for our customers in the air,” American Airlines said in a statement posted on X. “She started in 1957 and held the Guinness World Record for longest-serving flight attendant. Bette inspired generations of flight attendants. Fly high, Bette.” The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the union representing flight attendants in the United States, posted its own tribute to Nash on Facebook. “Bette’s remarkable career spanned over six decades, during which she touched countless lives with her warmth, dedication and unparalleled service,” said the post. Nash started her lifelong career with the now-defunct Eastern Airlines in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4, 1957. In 2016, CNN had an opportunity to fly with her on her daily route from Reagan Washington National to Boston Logan on American Airlines. Nash, who was 80 at the time, said the romance and glamor of flying initially attracted her to the job. Nash said she went on to get a college degree, but she never deviated from her dream. She applied for a job as a stewardess, as flight attendants were then known, shortly after graduating. According to ABC News, Nash never officially retired from her role with American Airlines and died on May 17 in hospice care. Nash was awarded the Guinness World Record for having the longest career as a flight attendant in early 2022. “Her career surpasses the last longest flight attendant with 63 years, 61 days as of Jan. 4, 2021,” said the Guinness announcement. Nash saw many changes in the world of aviation over those six-plus decades of flight. Planes were places of luxury when she started flying, a time when everyone wore their Sunday best and ate lobster on real china. “You worked harder physically in those days,” said Nash. “We served this big meal tray. And I was the only one on the plane, so I had to take care of everybody.” But the biggest changes she witnessed over the years related to technology. When Nash first began flying, all flight schedules were chalked up on a blackboard, and manuals and regulations came in book form. Eventually, those papers were replaced with tablets — which she says was a big adjustment. (SD-Agencies) Words to Learn 相關(guān)詞匯 【空姐】 kōngjiě stewardess one who attends passengers (as on an airplane) 【倒閉的】 dǎobì de defunct no longer existing or functioning 美國航空公司和美國職業(yè)空乘協(xié)會（APFA）發(fā)表聲明稱，吉尼斯 “服務(wù)時間最長空姐”世界紀錄的保持者貝蒂?納什去世，享年88歲。 美國航空公司在社交媒體平臺X上發(fā)布聲明說：“我們對貝蒂?納什去世表示哀悼，她為我們的客戶提供了近70年的熱情服務(wù)。貝蒂1957年入職，是吉尼斯世界紀錄中服務(wù)時間最長的空姐。她激勵了一代又一代的空乘人員。高飛吧，貝蒂。” 代表美國空乘人員的工會APFA也在Facebook上發(fā)帖悼念。 該工會說：“貝蒂的職業(yè)生涯長達六十多年，期間她的熱情、奉獻精神和無與倫比的服務(wù)感動了無數(shù)人?！?/p> 1957年11月4日，貝蒂在華盛頓特區(qū)現(xiàn)已解散的東方航空公司開始了她的職業(yè)生涯。 2016年，美國有線電視新聞網(wǎng)（CNN）有幸與她一起乘坐美國航空公司的航班，從里根華盛頓國家機場飛往波士頓洛根機場。當(dāng)時已經(jīng)80歲的貝蒂說，最初吸引她的是飛行的浪漫魅力。 貝蒂拿到了大學(xué)學(xué)位，但夢想從未改變。 畢業(yè)后不久，她就申請了一份空姐的工作。 美國廣播公司新聞報道說，貝蒂并未從美國航空公司正式退休，5月17日在臨終關(guān)懷醫(yī)院去世。 2022年初，貝蒂因其超長工齡被授予吉尼斯世界紀錄。 吉尼斯公告稱：“截至 2021年1月4日，她的工作年限超過了上一位記錄保持者，長達63年61天?！?/p> 在六十多年的飛行生涯中，貝蒂見證了航空業(yè)的許多變化。曾經(jīng)，飛機代表奢侈的生活方式，那時每個人都盛裝來坐飛機，飛機餐是瓷盤端上來的龍蝦。她說：“那個年代，工作更辛苦。我們的餐盤很大，飛機上只有我一個空姐，必須照顧好每個人?！?/p> 這些年來，她目睹的最大變化是技術(shù)帶來的。貝蒂剛開始飛行時，航班時刻表用粉筆寫在黑板上，手冊和規(guī)章都是紙質(zhì)小冊子的，現(xiàn)在一切都存在平板電腦里。 (Translated by Debra) | 