Pan Am flight attendants had the most glamorous jobs in the sky. Here’s what happened when the airline vanished

20.07.2023 - 12:15 / edition.cnn.com / Pan Usa / Jane Goodall

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Ever wondered what happens when a jetsetting flight attendant swaps life in the skies for life on the ground? If the experiences of former Pan American World Airways crew are anything to go by, life takes off in a completely different direction.

Pan Am has always been synonymous with glamor, and its flight attendants lived their opportunities to the max. It was a career filled with luxury and international intrigue, going to Rome one day and Rio the next.

It was also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn more about people, places, and cultures worldwide.

“My experiences with Pan Am helped shape the global perspectives and understanding of the human experience that I hold to this day,” says former flight attendant Camille Lewis. Pan Am flight attendants doubled as ambassadors for the airline. They brought diverse viewpoints to the skies, and valued inclusion.

When the airline folded on December 4, 1991, a grand era in aviation history came to a close – but those who once called a Boeing 747 their office, and the world their home, found unique ways to take their lives to new heights.

What happened next? How do you harness all those experiences to take your next step? Seven former Pan Am flight attendants tell us where they ended up.

Growing up, Camille Lewis’s plan was to finish college and work in corporate management. However, she traded in the office for wings. “Flying gave me an uncommon, global perspective and extended education,” she says.

“There were unique exposures, social experiences, and a global perspective that could not reasonably be obtained any other way for the average young American. I remember riding camels in Pakistan, [enjoying] the hotel pool in Rio de Janeiro, bargaining with shop vendors in Nairobi, eating, drinking, and laughing all day at Caesar’s Beach in Liberia, and making trips to Saudi Arabia on my favorite airplane, the 747SP” – a shorter, longer-range 747.

“The memories are vast and have lasted a lifetime. I only traveled a little on vacations. My job, in many ways, was a vacation.”

Her most memorable passengers were Mother Teresa and primatologist Jane Goodall. She also played her part in history – one of her passengers was Michèle Bennett, the wife of Haiti’s dictator ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier of Haiti. She and her entire entourage were on their way from New York to Paris after the first family had fled the country.

Today Camille is a retired school principal in Los Angeles, following a 30-year career in education. Her career as a flight attendant made her familiar with many