Cabin Pressure: African American Pilots, Flight Attendants, and Emotional Labor
Abstract
From African American pilots being asked to carry people’s luggage to patrons refusing drinks from African American flight attendants, Cabin Pressure demonstrates that racism is still very much alive in the “friendly skies.” Author Louwanda Evans draws on provocative interviews with African Americans in the flight industry to examine the emotional labor involved in a business that offers occupational prestige, but also a history of the systemic exclusion of people of color.
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Evans's respondents found comfort in talking about racialized experiences and took relief in the inevitable fact that they were not alone in their experiences.
“Evans's respondents found comfort in talking about racialized experiences and took relief in the inevitable fact that they were not alone in their experiences.”
From I got all my sisters with me (on Black Twitter): second screening of<i>How to Get Away with Murder</i>as a discourse on Black Womanhood (2017) · cites this paper as Evans, 2013
Evans (2013) found that Black flight attendants and pilots are publicly disrespected and questioned about their work ability.
“For example, Evans (2013) found that Black flight attendants and pilots are publicly disrespected and questioned about their work ability.”
From I got all my sisters with me (on Black Twitter): second screening of<i>How to Get Away with Murder</i>as a discourse on Black Womanhood (2017) · cites this paper as Evans, 2013
Without these connections it is common to feel alone and vulnerable.
“Without these connections it is common to feel alone and vulnerable (Evans, 2013).”
From I got all my sisters with me (on Black Twitter): second screening of<i>How to Get Away with Murder</i>as a discourse on Black Womanhood (2017) · cites this paper as Evans, 2013
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- Authors
- Evans, L.
- Corresponding author
- Evans, Louwanda
- Venue
- Rowman & Littlefield Publishers eBooks
- Publisher
- Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
- Published
- 2013
- OpenAlex
- W4393060914
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3
- FWCI
- 2.02
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Rowman & Littlefield Publishers eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Race, History, and American Society
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Emotional Labor in Professions
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
- Keywords
- flight attendants, airline industry, emotional labor, racial discrimination, occupational prestige, airline passengers
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