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Fly With Me

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | FEBRUARY 2024

Fly With Me, co-directed by Sarah Colt and Helen Dobrowski, tells the story of the pioneering young women who became flight attendants at a time when single women were unable to order a drink, eat alone in a restaurant, own a credit card or get a prescription for birth control. Becoming a “stewardess,” as they were called, offered unheard-of opportunities for travel, glamour, adventure and independence. Although often maligned as feminist sellouts, these women were on the frontlines of the battle to assert gender equality and transform the workplace. Featuring firsthand accounts, personal stories and a rich archival record, the film tells the lively and important but neglected history of the women who changed the world while flying it.

Learn more about the film by visiting the Fly With Me PBS website.

In the press

“If you didn’t know the names of these flight attendants before the film, you will remember them after.”

—Washington Post

“The Replacements famously dissed flight attendants by labeling them as nothing but waitresses in the sky. Turns out they were being gentle. This stellar installment of "American Experience" shows that the profession has had to deal with more daunting challenges than a Minneapolis punk band. There are lots of unsung heroes, most notably the aptly named "Dusty" Roads, who comes across like the Billie Jean King of the skies.”

— Minnesota Star Tribune

“Many of the stories recalled in “Fly With Me” might be a half-century old, but themes continue to reverberate. Air hostesses challenged gender expectations and engaged in unionized strikes just like their male counterparts in the steel and auto industries.”

— Illinois Daily Journal

PAST SCREENINGS

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