EWOT

It used to be that airlines had very attractive stewardesses, that was par for the course. But today, they're no different from workers in any non-tip-based service industry. This probably ha a little to do with the fact that ideas of gender roles have changed over time, but it probably also has something to do with government regulations. Airlines used to have regulated prices. When the government controlled prices, the airlines had to find other ways to compete. One of the things they ended up competing on was the attractiveness of the service staff, namely stewardesses. Eventually government mandated pricing ended, and flight attendants became what they are now, with more gender equity and less objectivity. One more case where government regulation was the wrong answer.