Secrets of a Stewardess

A funny, entertaining and frank account of life as an air hostess in the debauched days of the 1980s

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People always seemed amused whenever Gretchen Ryan recounted tales of her transformative experiences as an air hostess in days gone by. Many even suggested she write a book about it. So she did. These were the debauched days of flying in the 80s, when flying was sexy, hanky-panky abounded, smoking was permitted, passengers wore suits, the cockpit was never locked and the cutlery was made of steel. This was a time of excess, wryly disguised as fun. This humorous, tongue-in-cheek memoir recalls amusing incidents, and a fair few tragedies, both in the air and around the world, as Gretchen’s adventures saw her bounding through London, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Ilha do Sal and New York. Against the backdrop of this ‘anything-goes’ world of flying, for 10 years life was a kaleidoscope of fun and excitement.