- Iris Peterson
Iris Peterson (born 1922) is a
retired flight attendant who flew forUnited Airlines for 60 years between 1946 and 2007. At the time of her retirement at the age of 85, she was #1 in terms of seniority.Career
Iris Peterson began her career in 1946. She held various leadership positions in the flight attendants' union. In 1953, she became the first lobbyist for the Air Line Stewards and Stewardesses Association. In 1968, she helped develop safety plans for the first jumbo aircraft. Working with aircraft engineers, 17 safety items were accepted, including the evacuation alarm, now standard equipment on aircraft worldwide. She retired April 23, 2007.
When she started her career, job restrictions included age, gender, ethnicity and weight, which favored men and discriminated against women. A tribute to Peterson by the United Airlines Association of Flight Attendants notes that she and her peers helped to destroy discriminatory practices, advancing the rights of women and uprooting gender discrimination.
External links
* [http://www.unitedafa.org/news/pdetails.asp?ID=182 Association of Flight Attendants - #1 Flight Attendant Retires from Friendly Skies after 60 Years; April 23, 2007]
* [http://www.afalax.org/default.asp?nc=6608&id=399 She's Number One! Association of Flight Attendants - She's Number One! Iris Peterson Retires 04.23.07]
* [http://www.united.com/page/article/0,,3302,00.html Flight attendant history]
* [http://indianaviationnews.net/careers/2007/07/realities-of-being-flight-attendant.html Realities of being a flight attendant, July 26, 2007]
* [http://www.unitedafa.org/dearafa_details.asp?NewsID=657 DEAR AFA: April 24, 2007]
* [http://www.thatsplanefunny.com/flightfacts.html The Origin of Flight Attendants]
* [http://www.cabinmanagers.com/commercial/ Airline Cabin Crew: History In The Making]
* [http://www.marial.emory.edu/about/news/Guardian070707.htm Flights of Fancy, The Guardian, July 7, 2007]
* [http://cabincrewblog.com/2007/04/iris-peterson-uas-no1-flight-attendant.html Iris Peterson, UA's No.1 flight attendant retires; April 24, 2007]
* [http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=427974 Iris Peterson: 59 Years As A UA Flight Attendant (and still flying!)]Persondata
NAME = Peterson, Iris
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = American flight attendant
DATE OF BIRTH = 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH =
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =
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