Sky, Haute Couture and Island Tales: An Early Flight Attendant Remembers

Sky, Haute Couture and Island Tales: An Early Flight Attendant Remembers

How a Madrilenian with style and courage experienced the early years of commercial aviation and made Mallorca her home

Palma shows itself on this January morning with light cloud cover and around 16°C; seagulls cry above the Passeig Mallorca, and somewhere an espresso spoon clinks in a café. Days like these are perfect for listening to older residents who unfold the threads of their lives here. One of them is Celia Velasco-Saorí. She arrived as a young woman from Madrid, boarded planes that did not yet offer today's safety comforts, and later settled on the islands.

Even as a child she had a clear idea: she wanted to work between clouds and people. There were plenty of practical hurdles — languages, contacts, exams — and she overcame them in her own way. A stay as an au pair in London brought English skills and self-confidence. At 18 she began working for a Spanish airline; the uniforms came from the ateliers of well-known designers: the designs gave the flight attendants an elegant silhouette that stood out in terminals and on airport boulevards.

Life on board was a mixture of routine, show and physical strain. Long duty hours, overnight stays on the aircraft, bonds born from that life and the unpredictability of technical problems were all part of it; communication on board could be challenging, sometimes turning routine announcements into puzzles, as in When Cabin Announcements Turn into Puzzles: Communication on Board an Island Airline. Velasco-Saorí recalls flights that ended narrowly and terrible accidents that cost colleagues their lives. Such experiences leave their mark — they humble you, but also make you proud of the profession because it brings people together and, despite the risks, opens doors to other places.

For her, Mallorca was more than a duty station: the island became home. Summers on the coast, winters on other islands, and finally arriving in a place where the sea organizes daily life. In Palma people recognize this kind of life course: small bars on the plaça, vendors at the Mercat de l'Olivar, neighbors who pass on stories. Velasco-Saorí managed to put the fragments of her memory into words; today she writes books and brings the scenes of early aviation to life.

What remains of that pioneering era? The clothes that set the fashion at the time tell us something about the aesthetics and aspirations of those years, as detailed in When Mallorca Began with Propellers. The uniforms by Pertegaz and Elio Berhanyer — the names still resonate — stand for an understanding of service combined with elegance. Equally important, however, are the everyday gestures: a warm greeting on board, the smile before takeoff, the exchange with travelers from around the world. These small things have helped shape Mallorca, because holidays and flying are closely intertwined on the island.

A positive view of such biographies does good. They remind us how local identity is formed — not only through buildings or festivals, but through people who stay, tell and pass things on. An idea that could really work in Palma: a small series of events at the city library or the cultural center on the Passeig, where eyewitnesses of aviation, fashion and travel share their stories. Oral history evenings, accompanied by photographs of uniforms and old flight logs, would not only preserve memories but also make young people curious about professions, travel and the island's history.

Recently, while walking along the Avinguda Argentina, I listened to an elderly stewardess who spoke with amused gestures about on-board catering and adventurous landings — and made passersby smile in the process. Encounters like these are a small gift to the city: they connect generations and make Mallorca appear not just as a holiday destination but as a place full of lived stories.

Next time you arrive at the airport, look at the people: they are stories in motion. One last tip: don't hesitate to ask older travelers about their memories. A café on Plaça Espanya, a few minutes to spare, and you already have a vivid trace of the island's history. A little nostalgia, a little fashion and aviation history — and suddenly an otherwise short walk through Palma becomes a small time travel.

Outlook: Collecting, listening to and exhibiting the testimonies of that era strengthens Mallorca's cultural memory. If you walk along the Rambla today, you can feel the contours of past years — between sun, sea and the gentle swing of a skirt hem that once shone on board a plane.