Continental attendant racks up 26 million miles

If you think you’ve racked up a lot of miles, consider Norma Heape, Continental Airlines’ number-one flight attendant on its seniority list. Heape, who recently celebrated 50 years of service with Continental, has logged 26 million miles on 27 aircraft types to nearly all of Continental’s 100+ destinations worldwide. She was recruited as a flight attendant from the Patricia Stevens Modeling Agency in June 1957, before Continental had jet-powered aircraft. Heape has been based in Houston, Denver, Los Angeles, Honolulu and Newark. She worked the inaugural flight of the Viscount aircraft in 1958, Continental’s first military air charter in 1964 and the first Boeing 747 flight to Honolulu in 1970. Heape now serves as an International Service Manager onboard the aircraft.