Photos reveal how much flying has changed since its ‘Golden Age’

Anyone who has ever tried to pass the beverage cart mid-flight knows there isn’t much space to gracefully pull off that maneuver.

The width of the aisle above, however, is similar to that of modern-day aircraft, a measurement which is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The cart may be smaller, and the flight attendant most assuredly so — for reasons that are no longer permitted.

“Originally, airlines had height and weight restrictions for flight attendants,” said Bubb. “They could not be any taller than 5’4″ and weigh more than 100 pounds.”

Many airlines also required “stewardesses,” a term which has fallen out of favor, to be unmarried women because, as it was then argued, females were better able to care for the psychological needs of passengers.

After a series of discrimination lawsuits starting in the 1970s, those restrictions loosened before being dropped altogether.