Nina Merisalo-Reunanen has flown 17 different aircraft models and spent nearly 50 years in the sky. Today, Nina serves as the chief purser on Finland’s oldest passenger aircraft still in operation, the ‘Old Lady’ (DC-3 OH-LCH), which is maintained in flying condition by the DC-3 Association. So, you might run into Nina aboard the DC-3 if you’re looking to experience the nostalgic charm of old-time flying — become a member and  check out the flights here.

Nina has had a long career as a flight attendant and to our delight, she shared stories from her diverse career, starting with her flight attendant training:

‘The Finnair Aviation Institute’s flight attendant course lasted about 8 weeks. It began with an observer flight — mine was a round trip to Copenhagen on a Super Caravelle aircraft. On that flight, we got to familiarize ourselves with the job and its responsibilities. Most of the course focused on flight safety and its regulations. At that time, there were no cabin crew training simulators, so we practiced evacuations using real aircraft. Cabin and customer service training was conducted on various aircraft types, initially focusing on economy class, domestic routes, and holiday flights. After the course, we completed a FAM (familiarization) flight with a more experienced flight attendant. Mine was a triangular route on a Convair Metropolitan: Helsinki–Kuopio–Joensuu–Helsinki. After that, I flew solo in the cabin on Convair flights, except on international routes, where two of us worked on board.”

Story to be continued..