Up in the Air: The real story of life aboard the world's most glamorous airline

By Betty Riegel

New York, 1961: the dawn of the commercial Jet Age and a golden era of air travel.

Betty Riegel spent her early childhood hiding in air-raid shelters as bombs dropped all around. From humble working-class roots, growing up with a mother who struggled to make ends meet and a father away at war, she had always dreamed of bigger things.

After responding to an advert in the local newspaper she secured herself an interview for the Pan Am training programme, and at just 22-years-old was selected from thousands of eager young British women to begin a career that would change the course of her life. Betty said goodbye to everything she knew and boarded a plane to New York, a city full of noise, towering skyscrapers and promise.

Under the watchful eye of her 'housemother', Dottie, Betty mastered the art of being the perfect Pan Am stewardess; everything from faultless etiquette, geography and safety to seamless make-up application, how to charm influential passengers and preparing five-course Parisian cuisine at 37,000 feet. But no amount of training could have prepared her for the rollercoaster of life in the air.

Up in the Aircharts the gruelling yet fabulous life aboard the most iconic airline there has ever been, and how a young woman from Essex opened her eyes to the world and lived her dream.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Mar 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781471112270

Betty Riegel

Betty Riegel, born in London, England during the war years of WWII, relates her story of fulfilling a dream to travel by first, flying for a regional British airline then becoming one of 17 women selected from the 1000 that showed up for one of Pan American World Airways' first recruiting trips to the UK. The book tells her story of her remarkable success in her 10-year flying career with PanAm, being promoted to Purser, Check Purser, then finally, to complete the cycle, becoming part of the recruiting team for PanAm. Following her PanAm career, she subsequently developed a successful travel business, being featured in an industry journal and following her retirement, began pursuing a college degree while in her 80's. This is the initial publication of the book in the US following its publication as a best seller in the UK, where it was variously featured in British newspapers as the book of the week and best of the summer reading and in Australia and New Zealand where the Reader's Digest Australia Inc. featured it in it's a hardcover issue of their Encounters publication as one of four selected books. She, and her husband, Kent, a retired President and General Counsel of a large international chemical company, now live in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania with their rescue dog, Peanut, and near their two sons, John Kent, Jr and Geoffrey. While continuing her college program, Betty also performs as a volunteer docent at the nearby internationally acclaimed Winterthur Museum and through the Internet, continues active and vigorous friendships with many of her PanAm colleagues.

Reviews for Up in the Air

[KevinOconnor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting insight into the world of air travel in the sixties the pilots and stewardesses did a lot better back then (55yrs old) ,I remember as a passenger young boy being allowed in the cockpit,the whole era was different,particularly from the security side of things,passengers had a better time too in the air bigger seats better food and more stress free airports,of course tickets cost more ,wonder if modern staff get as many free tickets for friends and family think not, Ryanair hmmmmm. :)

[Tameka Dalwood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Was a personal, friendly and inspirational recount of a determined lady daring to leave home and explore the world despite the challenges she faced! Highly recommend to anyone with a passion for aviation or the romance of yesteryear.