Ron Akana
American flight attendant (1928–2025)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ronald Byrd Akana (September 8, 1928 – July 29, 2025) was an American flight attendant who spent 63 years working as cabin crew for United Airlines (UA) and who logged an estimated 200 million airmiles.[1] He was the world's longest serving flight attendant and was admitted to The Guinness Book of Records.[2][3][4]
Ron Akana | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 8, 1928 Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, U.S. |
| Died | July 29, 2025 (aged 96) Colorado, U.S. |
| Occupation | Flight attendant |
| Years active | 1949–2012 |
| Employer | United Airlines |
| Known for | World's longest-serving flight attendant |
| Children | 1 |
Career
Akana, aged 21, applied to a local newspaper ad in 1949 with United Airlines for a steward position. His reason to apply as a flight steward was that "[…] it meant getting to the mainland, which was a huge deal in those days." At this time Akana was still a student at the University of Hawaii. After joining UA he started flying to the mainland on Boeing Stratocruiser.[5] His time working for UA was only interrupted by a two-year conscription, where he served in the Korean War.[6] In August 2012, after 63 years of service, Akana retired after a flight from Denver to Kauai. By that time he had accumulated 200 million airmiles.[5]
