The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight podcast artwork
True Crime

The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight

by iHeartPodcasts and Novel

Today: #139 in True Crime on our combined chart.

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Chart positions today

True Crime
#139 New on this chart
#117 Pulse 4

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Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart

Ranking history

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DateApple Podcasts
Oct 3#117

About the show

In the golden age of air travel, flying was sold as glamorous, luxurious, and effortlessly chic. But for the young women working the aisles at 30,000 feet, the reality was very different. When Patt Gibbs joined American Airlines in the 1960s, she was trained to be slim, smiling, and subservient. Stewardesses like her were weighed like luggage, forced to retire at 32 years old, banned from marriage, and expected to endure sexual harassment with grace. One extra pound, one birthday too many, or one wedding ring and your wings were clipped. But when Patt walks into a union meeting on a whim, everything changes. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight tells the story of the stewardesses who refused to be grounded. From secret meetings to landmark discrimination cases to high-stakes union votes, these women challenged America’s biggest airlines and the sexism baked into the industry itself. A powerful sisterhood began to form across cabin aisles and crew lounges. They weren’t just fighting for better contracts. They were fighting for control of their own lives. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight is produced by Novel for iHeartPodcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.  You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Latest episodes

  • The Girlfriends S6/E6: What’s at Steak

    September 28, 2026 · 43 min

    As stewardesses push for dignity at work, everyday encounters expose how deeply power and sexism run in the airline industry. From union politics to moments of personal reckoning, Nell traces how one stewardess is forced to confront the…

  • The Girlfriends S6/E5: Wed to the Wings

    September 21, 2026 · 45 min

    In the 1960s, marriage could cost a stewardess her job. As a result, United Airlines flight attendant Celeste Brodigan lives a double life, hiding her husband from management. When the truth is discovered, the airline begins watching her…

  • The Girlfriends S6/E4: Wings of Change

    September 14, 2026 · 45 min

    In 1950s America, airlines refused to hire Black women as stewardesses. When Patricia Banks Edmiston is repeatedly rejected, she refuses to stay silent. By calling in civil rights leaders and taking on Capital Airlines, Patricia launches a…

  • The Girlfriends S6/E3: The Golden Age

    September 7, 2026 · 47 min

    In the 1960s, stewardesses were forced to retire at 32, no matter their skill or experience. When Patt Gibbs and her colleagues publicly challenge the age rule, they confront a culture that values women only while they look young. The…

  • The Girlfriends S6/E2: Losing It

    August 31, 2026 · 42 min

    Behind the cocktails and movie stars, stewardesses’ jobs depended on staying under strict weight limits. When Patt Gibbs is suspended for gaining a few pounds, a company doctor hands her diet pills with potentially dangerous consequences…

  • The Girlfriends S6/E1: On Air

    August 24, 2026 · 44 min

    In the golden age of flying, air travel looked glamorous, but for the women working onboard, it was tightly controlled. Nell McShane Wulfhart takes us inside American Airlines’ “Charm Farm” where young stewardesses, like Patt Gibbs, were…

  • Introducing The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight

    August 17, 2026 · 3 min

    In the golden age of air travel, flying was sold as glamorous, luxurious, and effortlessly chic. But for the young women working the aisles at 30,000 feet, the reality was very different. The Girlfriends: Flight or Fight tells the story of…

  • The Girlfriends S5/E5: Don’t Mess With Texas

    May 11, 2026 · 33 min

    Special Agent Mike discovers Dorie isn’t the only woman Derek Alldred’s been seeing in Texas. Will Tracie agree to help the girlfriends bring him down once and for all?  If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show, our charity…