Flight attendant flies as high as ever at 81

Betty Nash has attended to passengers for so long that her usual route is endearingly called the 'Nash dash'

Flight attendant Betty Nash, 81, has been attending to passengers for so long that her usual route, from Washington DC to Boston, is endearingly referred to as the 'Nash dash'.

The octogenarian, who celebrates sixty years in the sky this year, shows no sign of slowing down. She has been flying for so long that most regulars know her personally.

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"She is magnificent," said frequent flier Florence Tate. "She's my mentor - the cup is always half-filled."



Nash attributes her longevity as a flight attendant to the joy of meeting new and exciting people. "I thrive on the people," Nash said. "You say something to them and they say something to you and they're happy - and of course I like being paid, too."

Since she started working, in 1957, Nash has worked for numerous airlines and is currently an air hostess with American Airlines. Along with changing airlines, she has also borne witness to a changing society. Working as a flight attendant today is vastly different from the fifties, when the job required you to be single and in your twenties.

However, changing norms have allowed Nash to work into her eighties with no intention to retire. According to her, the biggest changes she's seen have been related to technology, with people remaining fundamentally the same.



"There's nothing like technology that has changed," Nash said. "The people are exactly the same. Everybody needs a little love" - especially early in the morning thousands of feet in the sky.

This story first appeared on CBS News