Life, Love, and a Hijacking: My Pan Am Memoir

by Wendy Sue Knecht

Overview

Life, Love, and a Hijacking: My Pan Am Memoir is an insightful, hilarious, sometimes seat-gripping look at the adventures of an ebullient flight attendant, who flew for the world’s most iconic airline, Pan Am. With the world at her fingertips, anything was possible...even the improbable. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the read as Wendy Knecht recounts the experiences of her lifetime. Travel with Wendy as she transforms from naive, frizzy-haired college student into a wined-and-dined, weight-checked woman of the world. After rigorous, eye-opening training and an aerodynamics lesson called PFM, she progresses to rich experiences around the globe. Fly along as she tells stories about a cockpit swimsuit competition, working the world’s longest flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, and all the perks, discoveries, and personal growth that came along the way. It wasn’t just a party, and world politics were always part of the Pan Am experience. An interview by the Secret Service details a threat on President Reagan’s life, and an assignment in India leads to personal involvement in the shattering, deadly 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73. Single until age 47, Wendy’s Pan Am story of her “life of freedom” is thought provoking and peppered with celebrity, adventure, tragedy, and a lot of laughter. Life, Love, and a Hijacking just might empower you to seek your own life’s adventure.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940152067088
Publisher:	Wendy Sue Knecht
Publication date:	07/29/2015
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	834,481
File size:	572 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Wendy Sue Knecht always had a passion for travel, even as a little girl.

After pursuing her degree at the University of Arizona, she became a flight attendant for the world's most iconic airline, Pan Am. Her rich and amazing career included many humorous adventures, observations, and life lessons. Her story is a mix of hilarious, seat gripping moments, and some tragic times.

A love of writing compelled her to share her story of an era like no other in aviation history.

Since her career as a flight attendant, Wendy Knecht has become an inventor, on-air spokesperson, and product entrepreneur. Wendy has appeared on QVC hundreds of times as the on-air spokesperson for the line of travel bags she designed, as well as numerous other products.

Wendy lives in L.A. with her husband (and avid travel partner), and their four-legged furry son, Murray.

Table of Contents

1 Hired, Trained, and PFM
2 Grooming
3 Almost Famous
4 Living and Learning
5 Dream Job
6 Captain Phil
7 Have Some Culture
8 Commuting
9 Wanderlust and Sam
10 Ellie
11 Mussels in Brussels
12 Down Under
13 Above and Beyond
14 Ditching
15 P(ass) Riding
16 Insights and Gratitude
17 Plane Crazy
18 Lie If You Must
19 The Sweet Aroma of Travel
20 A Chance Encounter
21 Secret Service
22 Married, but It's Nothing Serious
23 Unlikely African Angels
24 Nairobi Adventure with Judy
25 Oh, Brother
26 Five Miles High and the Pilots
27 The Flight Test
28 Special Assignment
29 The Hijacking
30 The Cremation of Neerja Bhanot
31 Lessons Learned
32 Recruiting
33 Bumpy Road
34 Shoe Fetish
35 Business on the Fly
36 Miss Congeniality
37 Lockerbie: Beginning of the End
38 Not So Fast
39 Flying Private
40 Work, 9/11, and Love
41 Ellie Maxes Out
42 Ultimate Benefits
43 Travel 101
44 A Taste of Pan Am

Editorial Reviews

05/25/2015
Knecht's delightful memoir introduces readers to the exciting world of air travel. She spent decades as a flight attendant for Pan Am Airlines, getting to experience the glamour of world travel and an older, more luxurious way of getting places (before budget airlines ascended and Pan Am went bankrupt). Her years of travel took her all over the world, led her to meet many amazing people, and helped her maintain close ties with family, friends, and lovers, especially with her family's liberal use of her travel benefits. She exposes this world to readers in delightful anecdotes—some funny, some heartbreaking—and on every page displays an infectious lust for travel and adventure. Knecht draws readers in with charm and makes them feel a part of the Pan Am experience. Given the present-day experience of flying coach-class, even readers too young to have flown on Pan Am will feel nostalgic. She also provides valuable advice on packing, eating, and generally being a smart traveler, as well as some recipes for some of Pan Am's most popular in-flight meals. (BookLife)

Publishers Weekly

Knecht's delightful memoir introduces readers to the exciting world of air travel...... She exposes this world to readers in delightful anecdotes-some funny, some heartbreaking-and on every page displays an infectious lust for travel and adventure. Knecht draws readers in with charm and makes them feel a part of the Pan Am experience. Given the present-day experience of flying coach-class, even readers too young to have flown on Pan Am will feel nostalgic. She also provides valuable advice on packing, eating, and generally being a smart traveler, as well as some recipes for some of Pan Am's most popular in-flight meals.- (BookLife) Publishers Weekly Debut memoirist Knecht is a very engaging schmoozer....On the somber side, the hijacking in the title refers to the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am 73 on the tarmac at the Karachi airport...Knecht tells the story well, capturing the anxiety and horror...An authentic voice helps this tale take off.- Kirkus Life, Love, and a Hijacking by Wendy Sue Knecht is a collection of memories rich in its variety and content. The excitement of the glamorous life the high flyers lead comes alive in these pages.......An excellent read, it held my attention from the moment I started till I turned the last page. - Readers' Favorite ( 5 Star)

From the Publisher

2015-07-24
Knecht's memoir takes readers up into the rarefied atmosphere of being an international flight attendant with iconic airline Pan American, with its special culture, exotic locales, and quirkiness. Debut memoirist Knecht is a very engaging schmoozer. After becoming a Pan Am flight attendant just out of college, she planned to work there for a couple of years, then pursue other plans; instead, she remained with Pan Am until its demise in the early 1990s. She took to world travel like a Boeing to the jet stream. Readers also learn about her upbringing and ambitions. In those days, Pan Am ran a tight ship, and esprit de corps was high. There was, of course, some tomfoolery (Knecht is a member of the Five Mile High Club). On the somber side, the hijacking in the title refers to the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am 73 on the tarmac at the Karachi airport. Knecht wasn't on the flight, but many friends were, including an Indian flight crew whom she had trained and befriended. Knecht tells the story well, capturing the anxiety and horror. After Pan Am, and on a very loose arrangement with its successor, Delta, she became a private flight attendant, serving on private or corporate jets, where she met many celebrities about whom she is now happy to dish. Speaking of dishes, her book also includes recipes for many items from the famous Pan Am menu. Knecht is a competent though not fully polished writer given to clichés. Anecdotes, the life of her memoir, are alternately amusing and somewhat forced, or the reality struggles to survive the telling. Always hovering behind the narrative like a ghost is the downfall of Pan Am—a bittersweet backdrop for such an alluring profession. An authentic voice helps this tale take off.

Kirkus Reviews