Pan Am Training Video: Professional Image (circa late-1980s)

Filmed at the Pan Am Flight Academy in Miami, Florida. The video was used in flight attendant training to maintain professionalism whenever in uniform or representing the company in public. All "actors" were Pan Am flight attendants.
Special thanks to Linda Reynolds for saving a collection of safety and training VHS tapes from the Pan Am Flight Academy in Miami, Florida after the airline closed on December 4, 1991.
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[@Sashazur]

I love the closeup when she’s using the plant as an ashtray! 😂

[@SquishyZoran]

For whatever reason I lost it there!

[@mynewyork165]

Yep. The arrogance of smokers. They used to do the same when you could smoke in malls too.

[@Sashazur]

@@mynewyork165 Well back when this was made you could still smoke most places. I think the point the video was trying to make wasn’t so much that smoking was bad, but that smoking (just like talking loudly, snacking, etc.) was unprofessional in this context.

[@mynewyork165]

@@Sashazur It also used to be unprofessional to flick your ashes into the plant. That's what I was alluding to.

[@jjinnyc75]

@@SquishyZoran I did too for some reason. Glad Im not alone lmao

[@gregshoemake2628]

The first gentleman walking in is Walt Lorio. He was my supervisor in training and the lady behind the counter is Judy Panzarella. She was my supervisor at JFK.

[@herrhunatter8023]

Are they still alive?

[@davidraisman5439]

Are u the tall guy flight attendant

[@jacekdomagala1188]

Must be a crazy feeling to rewatch this years later online

[@atl_h2_nw]

Please tell Walt that while he carries the bag around very fashionably he is an ineffective Service Director by not securing a quiet spot in the back of the lobby for them to smoke

[@sonnytitter5259]

These videos are fascinating and addictive and somewhat satisfying. Viva forever Pan Am 🌐✈️

[@kevinvilleneuve5030]

Especially the ones from the heyday of Pan Am in the 1960s and early 1970s before the energy crisis of 1973!

[@DVincentW]

In the Stanley Kubrick film 2001,(1968) there's a space shuttle in orbit w a space station, the shuttle has Pan Am on it. The entire mothballed fleet now sits in the AZ desert, at Pima.

[@kevinvilleneuve5030]

@@DVincentW Would love to go see that! I would have thought by now, their planes have all been scrapped.

[@amuxpatch2798]

@@DVincentW scrapped now

[@9Xavier1]

I just wanted Linda to come over and tell her that this is a non-smoking section of the lobby, and she’s more than happy to find her a smoking section and plant-ashtray at the back of the lobby. 🤣

[@HunterShows]

"Oh, it's all right. I actually have a room in the smoking zone. I just came up here to see my friend and smoke in this zone for a few minutes. I'm almost finished."

[@9Xavier1]

@@HunterShows I’ll just be a minute, and I am a World Pass Elite member after all.

[@cangri48lbp]

Lmfaooooo Im just finding these videos 😂 and I’m glad I understood the reference 😂

[@kevinivers]

Even better… Cynthia Stewart rolls in after her important meeting concluded badly and takes it all out on them in the lobby.

[@stupid8911]

I can't stop watching these...

[@bawoman]

I know we are supposed to think they are being unprofessional but I find their casualness and familiarity refreshing. Makes me want to hang out with the lol Also the guy with the headphones is a hoot

[@thomasgriffin8269]

That flight attendant thumbing through the magazine is the air pirate that vanished somewhere not to be seen during the flight. She magically reappears when the jets parked and people shoveling out the door.

[@musicalmelodies3595]

The other hotel customers acting appalled at the tired crew when they themselves acted worse and left the plane a mess as passengers on their flight over 😂

[@AnivalMorales-f7p]

Oh how i miss flying for Pan Am. And love seeing my in-Flight instructor Scarlett Singleton. Wow, how time flies

[@lindaromaniello6369]

How cool to see this...Gloria was my instructor and always the epitome of professionalism!

[@michaelhasselmann-guyette7557]

I'd take this socializing over glued to smart phones any day

[@auntiedionne5333]

Exactly. They are all looking at each other and conversing, eating, sharing food, laughing, complaining, like people used to do.

[@timothyhh]

The employees must've had an absolute scream to filming these.

[@blueskies7987]

Snacking out of the barf bag is the best!

[@flyc3]

It’s amazing what you observe and hear when you’re a ‘member of the public’. A really good video and, whilst dated, highlights things that go on today in the world of customer service.

[@kendrapratt2098]

That one flight attendant’s purse is so cute! The brown leather flap bag

[@jonathanw844]

I spot Sherry from todays installment of the galley spat, these are great!

[@elfulano5884]

"You want some grapes? They're really good!"

[@ohmy9479]

…”And they’re seedless!!”

[@philfote]

It’s the grapes from the barf bag for me. 🤣🤣

[@ClipperMaidOfTheSeas]

It'd be more accurate if it was full of liquor minis

[@nonyafkinbznes1420]

1:06 Holy 80s! Those headphones! 😂

[@mynewyork165]

Yeah & the other thing is that headphones like those were never glued to your head like they do today.

[@straightpipediesel]

@@mynewyork165 People couldn't afford to. Gadgets didn't recharge, they ate expensive batteries.

[@mynewyork165]

@@straightpipediesel People couldn't afford to do what? Please finish your sentence so you can be understood.

[@nilz9397]

Lol funny holy 80s 😂😂😂

[@jeanlucdrion1152]

U ain't lying. Dated stuff. But was the normal equipment back then.

[@LegionIvory]

This would make a badass television series. For real.

[@tracirai]

This is hilarious, it could just have easily been filmed a week ago! It seems that nothing ever changes 🤣

[@JoePez]

My right ear really enjoyed this video

[@DCinchi]

The acting is great!

[@mph1ish]

Especially Cheri- she's so natural!

[@crashjim2634]

I believe the young man with those earphones is a Greeter at Walmart in Fort Lauderdale

[@kimberlychandler6162]

I’m a flight attendant with American now, and nothing has changed 😱😱😱

[@wsemmons2001]

You said that two weeks ago, so I thought I'd check in. Any better yet? 😉

[@ATMAtim]

Expected on American.

[@thomasgriffin8269]

​@@wsemmons2001It's two years.. She better have went through remedial training or I boycott American.. 🎉😂 JK.. American was the first airline I flew when I was 14. The flight attendant in my section sat in the seat next to me to ask what I thought of flying. I'll never forget her..

[@gatewayz75]

I used to manage cabin crew arrivals at a hotel front desk, what a nightmare especially the early arrivals although some airlines paid for the rooms the night before so that was a breeze. It was always great chatting to the crew and I used to get duty free from some of the regulars. God forbid that I allocated a room for the tech crew on a floor lower than a F/A!! They also used to swap rooms and force the most junior F/A to take the worst room. I could write a book 😂

[@BarryLeeReynolds]

You should. People would read it.

[@carlospulpo4205]

Now that air travel is like taking the bus, this behavior is not looked upon as unusual, well except for the smoking part.

[@amuxpatch2798]

bus with wings , going from shopping mall country to another shopping mall country

[@Youngstown529]

I would have assumed all the male flight attendants would have just opened their Grindr apps to find a room.

[@atl_h2_nw]

I worked for an airline 20 years ago and oh man if only Tinder were a thing back then

[@roachtoasties]

I don't know about this. They were off the clock, so they can do what they want. If these videos leaked out to any Hollywood bigshots, Pan Am would lose these employees to the entertainment industry. Academy Award winning material here.

[@smwca123]

If they're in uniform, they're representing PA whether on or off duty.

[@landocalrisian2014]

Beer to help him sleep😂 ok

[@ShakespeareCafe]

Linda runs a tight ship. In the air the captain is ultimate authority but Linda runs the cabin like a petty fiefdom. Don't cross her.

[@mynewyork165]

What I want to know is this; what lesson or activity followed after watching this video? Also, did flight attendants get in trouble for things like this?

[@richardbarrett7236]

It is to instruct them on how to act in this situation.

[@richardbarrett7236]

I liked them!

[@mynewyork165]

@@richardbarrett7236 So did they have a discussion after this video?

[@GarretGrayCamera]

@Nomad life with Rae Lessons: Don't talk about getting beers without assuring anyone listening that you're only going to drink two or three because you're the pilot. Don't be inconsiderate, instead of ashing your cigarette on the ground, use the nearest potted plant.

[@smwca123]

@@GarretGrayCamera Drinking or even being seen in a bar while in uniform is a firing offense at any airline.

[@Tx4ever1234]

My initial training instructor is in this video.

[@vulgarshudder]

Hey it's the smoking karen passenger, this time using the plant as an ashtray 😅

[@GarretGrayCamera]

She was treated so well by the flight attendant that she decided to work for them!

[@auntiedionne5333]

Not the same actress actually. Same hairdo for sure.

[@SammyReed-cd4cu]

That's actually CHERI!

[@auntiedionne5333]

I love Cheri's voice.

[@richardbarrett7236]

I like this crew! They are just like normal people! 😀👍🏼 Would rather have them than that other woman staring.

[@George75605]

"I'm gonna get DRUNK!" "I Can't WAIT!" 🤣😂😅🥴🥴🥴🥴😵😵😵!!!!!!!

[@bg02261989]

Legend says that they got the room much later than anticipated, therefore the flight that they had to operated for the return leg got delayed because of the crew rest and unfortunatly a ground stop was imposed at the destination due to the bad weather and as a jack pot there was a mechanical issue as a result the flight got cancelled therefore passengers were upset and that crew as even more upset.

[@cds1848]

Imagine a time when people actually sat around and had friendly banter. I went back to my college fraternity house a couple of years ago...the formal dining room has been transformed into a video game den where the brothers silently interact via avatars. LOL.

[@evelynwilson1566]

I've been out of work for a few years because of ill health. I recently went on a first aid training course, and was shocked by the silence at break time - no one chatting except on the phone, or making eye contact.

[@meow1990_2]

I live in a dorm with 14 others in Denmark, and I can assure you that banter and conversations are alive and well 😁

[@ivanahavitoff7308]

We need a Linda intervention here!

[@thomasgriffin8269]

My kinda pals.. hehehe..

[@therealxunil2]

I would actually not give a rat's ass what the aircrew were doing or acting like in the hotel. AND I certainly wouldn't be rudely pointing at them.

[@musicalmelodies3595]

Exactly! I would be going to my room lol

[@johnwmoffett]

And her husband? Clearly gay. He was totally checking out the male FAs. Lol

[@auntiedionne5333]

I would want to sit down and party with them!

[@HowieHoward-ti3dx]

@@johnwmoffett You must be gay.

[@johnwmoffett]

Sorry, but I would LOVE to fly with this crew. Lol. They don't look like a bunch of "slam-clickers." And they're using sick sacks for carrying grapes! haha

[@ryanhilliard1620]

Slam clickers?🤔

[@avia1256]

This was so funny ngl. This is probably how some spirit airlines FA’s behave in public.

[@michaelyau125]

Actually all the Spirit FAs I’ve ever seen in the airport have been very professional. And they always look good in their uniforms.

[@gillowe6605]

Aside from the smoking it’s pretty much how all airline crews act these days. Although, to be fair, the “I can’t believe our rooms aren’t ready…” reaction was actually super chill compared to what would happen today. On the few occasions there has been any issue with a room at check in, especially late at night or early in the am, we become terrifying monsters! Our layovers keep getting shorter every year, so if you tell me it’s going to be “a while” my head will probably spin around and I will summon the demons of hell to rain chaos down on you!

[@MiniMaxiSlots]

Nowadays we just spend 5 minutes bitching about how awful the hotel is, and then bury our heads in our phones until the rooms are ready.

[@romerjusu3804]

I didn't know Brenda Vacarro was a flight attendant .

[@evelynwilson1566]

Hey, these people were decent actors! We always seemed to get terrible training videos at work, often twenty years old, with wooden acting and ridiculously bad customer service portrayed, and prefaced by apologies from the instructor because of the terrible fashion and hairstyles on show. They were rubbish but entertaining😅

[@chrismckay551]

I think some did not get the message of this! This Video was done in exaggeration for Training purposes. To show to the Crew members in Training what is NOT allowed and that this kind of Attitude will not be tolerated. Of course there were times that behavior like this was observed. The loud voices, laid back attitude and arrogant crew members who do not care about who is around them is more often happening now than then. Rules were much stricter in the past.

[@HunterShows]

Yeah, did you see some of those 50s videos? Those guys were hardasses.

[@mdleweight]

The vast majority of airline crews are highly professional. There are way too often some who act unprofessionally, much like in the video. I alway think about the training they went through and wonder how much else they have forgotten, especially the safety aspects.

[@peterschneider777]

The grey haired F/A is definitely a "slam clicker"

[@allenjones4168]

Live the video. It shows you what not to do.

[@ronaldgiroux3307]

Swiss airlines international put the flight deck crews is a different hotel from the cabin crew and the purser checks in the crew.

[@Ksiaz]

Well, the Swiss... Some people just have to be different :) Or maybe they just want to save some money and put the cabin crew in a cheaper hotel?

[@ronaldgiroux3307]

@@Ksiaz well before the pandemic SAI cabin crews stayed at the Grand Hyatt and the flight deck crew stayed at the Waldorf Astoria. I believe British Airways crews stay at the Waldorf also. Lufthansa’s crews stay at the Marriot in Brooklyn, Emirates crews stay at the Sheraton in the theatre district. I have a lot of friends in the airline industry.

[@reginabillotti]

Is it just my headphones or is the audio degraded?

[@winstonsmith2902]

This is wild eating and relaxing in a lobby is not professional?

[@GarretGrayCamera]

I think the point is they're carrying on and being loud and drawing attention to themselves while spreading their garbage around, the pilot talks about going out for beers and they question the hotels professionalism. If they're in uniform then they need to present themselves like they're on the clock even though they are on their own time at this point.

[@Eric2221]

Every AMS trip EVER @ Casa 'Im Sorry but Dat is Not Possible'

[@FabianoSouzacomunicador]

Deram uma "exagerada" na atuação, mas a mensagem ficou muito bem clara.

[@seand2711]

This is the hotel's fault for not having their rooms ready. 😒

[@knagl]

You realize this is a training video, right? Everyone in the video is acting.

[@seand2711]

@@knagl oh I had no idea. Of course I know it's all staged. 🙄

[@scottgrunow5201]

How dare she take her shoes off and put her feet on the furniture?

[@simonbodd]

Buzz kill Gloria was the reason Pan Am went under 🤦🙄

[@suhailshafi]

The conduct of the airline crew leaves much to be desired but the hotel should have had their rooms ready for them and provide the rooms as soon as they walked into the lobby.

[@vvdik]

I can't wait to get trashed 🤣🤣

[@inkedbeast76]

Would be nice if you could actually hear it

[@tgs6027]

common sense that you don't act this way common sense 101

[@HunterShows]

The moral of the story seems to be don't relax when you're off the job!

[@Tony-ml7te]

This is still way more professional than the trash they hire these days.

[@tresand9595]

Omg flight attendants are human, like with blood and guts wow crazy I thought they were robots 🤣

[@domesticengineerlifecoach6938]

ALL BECAUSE OF ICANNABIS !!!! ... U WILL FIND YOUR SELF WITH A NEW SET OF FRIENDS!! BY ..KAYTELL!👍

[@ATMAtim]

From frame 1 to the end, this video made no sense. I don't smoke but think the smoking was cool.

[@noway5590]

They are eating out of a barf bag

[@kitsiewr]

Of course! The food was all taken from the plane! As well as the "Sangria" for the crew bus!

[@scottgrunow5201]

And all that junk food! Gasp!

[@davefrommelbourne1237]

We you honestly stop, stare and point at ‘supposed’ inappropriate behaviour? Lol.

[@HunterShows]

Look! Those flight attendants are occupying chairs and talking in _our_ hotel lobby!

[@kmg2874]

Only a Karen would care what employees are doing on their off time. They are normal people just like everyone else.

[@straightpipediesel]

They're actually not on their own time. During a layover, one, they continue to get paid by the hour (per-diem), two, the hotel is being paid by the company who may kick them out or send a bill for a trashed room (point of this video), and three, like any business trip, the company is responsible for situations like illness and injuries. Particularly in foreign countries, crew may be banned from certain locations or even confined to their hotel for security reasons.

[@user-bn7cg5kz9p]

Did we really need to see 4+ minutes of this when the message was apparent with in the first 15 seconds?

[@K-Riz314]

Yes. Yes we do.

[@CallieMasters5000]

Yeah, so what? I see nothing wrong here. For crying out loud, that gal is hungry! And this hotel always pulls this crap. They don't even have enough chairs for everybody to wait around in the lobby!

[@TestTest-zb3dt]

Smokers should be forced to eat their cigarette butts.

[@AnivalMorales-f7p]

Oh how i miss flying for Pan Am. And love seeing my in-Flight instructor Scarlett Singleton. Wow, how time flies