By Olivier Burger
Nelly Diener began her service with Swissair in 1934 on the Curtis Condor high-speed aircraft, made primarily of wood, of the newly launched Swissair. She was hired at the insistence of commercial director Balz Zimmermann and against the resistance of technical director Walter Mittelholzer. The young flight attendant stole the show from aviation pioneer and photographer Mittelholzer, which displeased the famous adventurer. Suddenly all the cameras were focused on the smartly dressed air hostess. And Aero-Revue even glorified her as a blonde, curly-haired, long-eyed angel of the skies.

Female stewardesses at an advantage
The airline was convinced that female stewardesses would have a calming effect on passengers and reduce and curb their fear of flying, a means of transportation that was still perceived as exotic and new at the time. Multilingual, witty and charming, the 22-year-old looked after her guests on the almost four-hour flight from Zurich to Berlin. She entertained the anxious passengers with card games, sang with them or told them soothing stories. Nelly Diener spoiled her passengers with food and drinks she prepared herself. In the early years of Swissair, meals were not included in the flight price. There was no room for a galley in the cramped cabin. Tea, coffee, sandwiches, soup and fruit were on offer.

Tragic death
On June 27, 1934, after 83 flights to Berlin, Nelly Diener took her last flight. The Condor crashed near Tuttlingen due to technical failure. She and all the other passengers on board died. Swissair's report on the 1934 financial year describes the accident as follows: "In the past financial year, our company suffered its first serious aircraft accident when the Curtiss-Condor crashed near Tuttlingen on July 27, 1934. According to the report of the official investigation commission, the cause was due to a hidden permanent break in the connection flap of the two right front tensioning wires in the engine installation. All claims arising from this accident have since been completely settled. We will always honour the memory of the loyal crew, Mr. Armin Mühlematter, pilot, Mr. Hans Daschinger, radio operator, Miss Nelly Diener, stewardess, who lost their lives in the line of duty."

The beginnings of the flight attendant service
The world's first steward on board an aircraft practiced his profession in 1911 on the commercial airship LZ 10 "Schwaben" for Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft (Delag). On May 1, 1927, an on-board steward for the British Imperial Airways began the world's first flight attendant service on the London-Paris route. On May 15, 1930, the American nurse Ellen Church became the first stewardess to accompany passengers on a Boeing 80 A three-engine Boeing Air Transport.
Swissair's successor company, Swiss, now requires the following from prospective cabin crew: Swiss citizenship or EU passport, minimum age: 18 years, minimum height: 158 cm, normal weight and good health and resilience. In addition, a completed apprenticeship with an EFZ or higher school leaving certificate and very good language skills in English and German. We are looking for charming, friendly, outgoing and service-oriented candidates with a well-groomed appearance and impeccable manners. A high degree of flexibility for irregular working hours is also expected.

The author Pascale Marder has written about the brief happiness of Europe's first air hostess in a documentary novel entitled "Nelly Diener, Angel of the Skies". The book was published by Bilgerverlag Zurich (ISBN 978-3-03762-067-2).