World's most senior flight attendant honored for 60 years of service

Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A woman known as the world's most senior flight attendant was honored by American Airlines with a party celebrating her 60 years on the job.

Bette Nash, who was honored Friday with a party celebrating her "diamond jubilee," her 60th year of service, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, said her career started with Eastern Airlines, which would later become part of American.

"You had to be a certain height, you had to be a certain weight. It used to be horrible. You put on a few pounds and you had to keep weighing yourself, and then if you stayed that way, they would take ya off the payroll!" Nash told WJLA-TV.

Nash said she has been flying the same Washington to Boston "shuttle" flight for her entire career, which helped her out as a single mom.

"I have my handicap son. I wanted to be home every night. It wasn't a choice for me," Nash said.

She said she almost lost her job in 1989, when Eastern Airlines decided to discontinue the flight, but her career was saved when the route was picked up by the short-lived Trump Shuttle, owned by Donald Trump. She said U.S. Airways took over when the Trump Shuttle failed, and it eventually ended up back with American Airlines.