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Story: Holidays

A flying-boat stewardess

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This 1946 newsreel showed the duties expected of a stewardess on the flying boats that linked New Zealand and Australia. During the 10-hour trip she had to prepare and serve meals, provide flight progress updates and look after all the passengers, including babies and children. The inflight service, compared with that of today, seems lavish.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: Weekly Review 268. National Film Unit, 1946.

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Holidays – Overseas holidays, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/40758/a-flying-boat-stewardess (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 24 January 2013.