After serving passengers in the skies for more than 63 years, Bette Carol Fayard, the oldest active flight attendant for American Airlines, has officially retired at the age of 83. Her remarkable career came to a close on October 26 during a flight from London, UK, to Charlotte, USA.
Fayard's final journey was American Airlines Flight 733, traveling from London to Charlotte, North Carolina. The aircraft touched down at Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 4:40 PM local time.
To honor her historic career, the airport arranged a special tribute. Upon landing, the aircraft received a traditional water cannon salute—a gesture typically reserved for retiring pilots, making it an exceptionally rare and prestigious honor for a flight attendant.
Fayard personally chose the London-Charlotte route for her farewell flight. On June 15, 1987, she had worked on Piedmont Airlines' inaugural Charlotte-to-London flight. Wanting her career full circle, she chose to conclude her decades-long journey on the very route that marked a significant milestone in her early career.
Fayard's aviation journey began in 1963. Fresh out of high school in Johnson City, Tennessee, she visited a local airport in search of a job. There, she crossed paths with a Piedmont Airlines station manager, an encounter that led to her career as a flight attendant. Ironically, she had initially applied to American Airlines at the very beginning of her career.
