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Hopwood woman recalls TWA’s glory days

By Frances Borsodi Zajac fzajac@heraldstandard.Com 5 min read
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Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard

Marian McCann of Hopwood points to highlights of her career as a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines (TWA). A graduate of Laurel Highlands High School, McCann was one of the youngest flight attendants hired by TWA. Below, McCann (second from right) sits in the cockpit during one of her many flights onboard TWA.

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Marian McCann of Hopwood still has her uniform and wings from her time with Trans World Airlines (TWA).

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Marian McCann of Hopwood talks about her career as a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines (TWA). “My first flight was LA to London, called the Polar Flight because it was our longest flight, and, in the afternoon, I went to Wimbledon,'' she said.

Marian McCann of Hopwood remembers her career as a flight attendant with Trans World Airlines (TWA) as glamorous and exciting.

“The thing that set us apart from other airlines is we were owned by Howard Hughes,” she said. “What Howard Hughes brought to the table was his wealth, knowledge of flying and all his Hollywood friends. We were known as the ‘Marilyn Monroe of Airlines.”’

McCann was hired by TWA in the late 1970s after the death of Hughes, famous as an aviator, inventor, filmmaker and investor as well as an eccentric and recluse later in life. Hughes acquired TWA in 1939 and expanded its routes after World War II to serve Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

“We flew everywhere,” said McCann. “When I went to work, I went to London, Athens, Rome, Cairo, Tel Aviv. I never had to travel on my own time.”

A graduate of Laurel Highlands High School, McCann was one of the youngest flight attendants hired by TWA.

“I was very fortunate. The competition was fierce,” she noted. “I was interviewed in Pittsburgh and then had three days of interviews in Kansas City and they eliminated people every day.”

After training in Kansas City, McCann moved to New York City, where she was based.

“My first flight was LA to London, called the Polar Flight because it was our longest flight, and, in the afternoon, I went to Wimbledon,” she said.

TWA was well maintained and high class.

“We had beautiful planes, 747s, DC 11s, 707s, and state-of-the-art terminals. We stayed in five-star hotels. They limo-ed us to and from them. We got wake-up calls,” said McCann. “We were the largest major airlines, and we had the largest route structure.”

Passengers received royal treatment.

“Seven-course meals on china with everything from appetizers to Chateaubriand and dessert carts, a sleeper section in the upper-deck lounge. We were the first to have in-flight movies,” McCann reeled off a list of perks. “There was a constant flow of service and personal contact. If there were ticketing problems or a short ground time for the passengers, we were to alert customer service. That’s what was involved in the job.”

Passengers included celebrities in a time when private jets were not widely used.

“My absolute favorite was the Rod Stewart band,” said McCann. “He was working on an album,”Foolish Behaviour,’ and one of the band members, Jim Cregan, let us listen to the demo and asked our opinions – like it mattered.”

Once, McCann’s flight was filled with members of World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE, including Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant.

“They came down the ramp, and we thought it was a plane full of Hell’s Angels,” McCann said. “They were the greatest guys. I don’t know how they fit in the seats. Hulk Hogan stood up, and I came up to his waist.”

Other flights included Hugh Hefner’s Playmates, rock musician Chrissie Hynde, Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner and Oscar-winner Liza Minelli, who only spoke through her assistant.

McCann called actor Lee Majors “drop-dead gorgeous” and said comedian Bill Cosby told jokes his entire flight while bandleader Lawrence Welk danced in the aisles with all the women.

Other celebrity passengers included “American Bandstand” host Dick Clark, media mogul Merv Griffin and Ronald Reagan before he was president.

“Ronald Reagan was very nice. He also had that movie-star look – that ‘It’ factor,” McCann said. “He was very charming and very friendly.”

McCann said the flight attendants were not allowed to take photographs of the celebrities.

“We respected their privacy,” she noted.

Other job perks included Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas providing TWA crew with front-row tables at its shows and U.S. Sen. Jacob Javitz once took the crew on one of McCann’s flights to dinner at fabled Elaine’s restaurant in New York City. McCann also had access to shops around the world, buying Waterford crystal in London, sweaters and linens in Dublin and jewelry in Milan.

But she noted, “One of the things that always stuck in my mind was at the holidays, seeing families united, and the downside was seeing them part. We once had refugees on board who had no shoes and were relocating to St. Louis. Our crew went around and collected shoes from the flight attendants for them.”

While working, McCann married her husband, Fred McCann, who is employed by Cumberland Mine, and they had four sons: Josh, Evan, Brody and Carson. She began commuting from Fayette County and eventually took an early out after flying 18 years as the airline faced bankruptcy. TWA merged with American Airlines in 2001.

“The job I knew doesn’t exist today,” McCann said.

McCann has remained in touch with fellow employees through annual conventions for TWA flight attendants who worked for the company at least 15 years. McCann helped plan and co-host the 2014 convention held this fall in Pittsburgh, which has attracted a lot of media attention for McCann about the flight attendants and their charities, including the TWA Museum in Kansas City.

The convention included plenty of reminiscing about TWA’s glory days.

“Everything about it was top notch,” said McCann. “It’s hard to believe it’s gone.”

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