Alaska News

United Airlines flight attendant captures world record for longest career in the air

During his more than six-decade-long career as a flight attendant for United Airlines, Ron Akana clocked enough miles to fly to the moon and back 40 times, the Denver Post reported. The 83-year-old made his last flight with the airline last weekend, ending a 63-year career and landing himself in the Guinness World Records book as the longest serving flight attendant in US history, eturbonews.com reported.

His last route was Denver to Kauai in Hawaii, where he began working for United Airlines in 1949 while a student at the University of Hawaii. He was one of the first male flight attendants for the carrier.

"We didn't even know what a flight steward was," he told the Associated Press. "But it meant getting to the mainland, which was a huge deal in those days. "We just liked working with girls."

Akana plans to continue traveling during his retirement, but from now on his wife will join him on his trips.

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