One peaceful day while bored on a long flight I decided to flip through a passengers’ cast-off issue of Cosmo. Therein nestled between the makeup and fall fashion ads was an advertisement for the new CBS show Pan Am. Chipper flight attendants in their adorably silly hats stared at me from the page in front of the retro blue logo. I was squatting unladylike in the galley of a regional jet in slightly wrinkled clothes, a bit sweaty and covered in bruises, and with my curly hair sporting unruly fuzzy patches from hitting my head on the overhead bins. The last thing I wanted to see was a show about the ‘good old days‘. I hear about them enough from older passengers. Though flight crews from that time left such an impression that I take it as a compliment when passengers tell me I remind them of the flight attendants of ye olde days of aviation. While watching Pan Am I was struck by how close the show resembled what my imagination conjures up when told these fairy tales. The show is a blend of accurate small details and the barely believable; like looking into a moving Pan Am advertisement.
