50 Years In Flight: Cindy Crafton Celebrates Milestones in the Sky

When Cindy Crafton was a high school senior, she had two career paths in mind: pursuing a role in the medical field or becoming a flight attendant and traveling the world.

During a chance encounter with the owner of a newly established airline, Ambassadair Travel Club, she was offered the opportunity to train as a stewardess. Now, 50 years later, Crafton is still living her dream.

Taking Flight

At age 19, she took a leap of faith into the skies. This decision shaped most of her adult life, including meeting Mike, her soul mate of 48 years, raising four children (all attending and graduating from Center Grove schools), and relishing the presence of nine grandchildren.

“I guess you could say I never looked back,” says Crafton. “I began flying on April 11, 1975, with Ambassadair, later rebranded as ATA, based in Indianapolis. At that time, we operated with one aircraft and a team of 12 flight attendants, traveling worldwide as well as coast to coast across the U.S. In later years, ATA chartered with several NFL teams, including the Colts.”

As the years flew by, Crafton experienced a number of career milestones.

“I was part of ATA’s inaugural around-the-world tour in 1976, our country’s Bicentennial year. We were away for six weeks, landing back in Indy on July 4th,” she recalls. “It was an incredible experience where I made countless lifelong friends. That’s when I realized my passion for flying and knew I had to make this my lifelong career.”

Soaring to New Heights

The next leg of Crafton’s career journey provided options.

“I received job offers from both Eastern Airlines and American Airlines,” she says. “Following my research, I chose Eastern Airlines, the largest airline in the free world.” As a result, she was stationed in Chicago, New York, and Atlanta.

“I had been with Eastern for 13 years when I took their last flight from Atlanta to Kansas City,” Crafton says. “The captain called me during the flight to say, ‘You know when we land this is over.’ I had no idea what he was talking about; this was long before the internet and cell phones. Sadly, it was Eastern Airlines’ last day of operations. When we landed, we were crying, the passengers were crying, the gate agents were crying.”

Immediately, it was as if someone hit the replay button on the video of her career.

“Memories of a hijacking, a full emergency evacuation, loss of life in midair, as well as the many awards that I received all ran through my mind,” she says.

This event propelled Crafton to seek new ways to keep flying. She rejoined the skies with ATA.

Clocking 21 years with ATA, including eight in management roles, she ultimately attained the position of Indianapolis’s base manager before ATA unexpectedly ceased operations.

“The closure came after returning from flying troops to Kuwait City,” she says. “It was a sad day for my colleagues and me.”

ATA filed for bankruptcy in April 2008. Former Eastern Airlines and ATA employees continue to reunite annually to reminisce on their shared experiences.

“With Southwest not actively recruiting at that time, I joined the only airline that was, AirTran. I wasn’t ready to retire. I wanted to keep flying.”

“Several years later, Southwest Airlines and AirTran merged, and that’s where I am today, based in Denver, marking my 16th year with Southwest, all the while living in Center Grove.”

A Guiding Light

Crafton’s initial decision to embark on a career as a flight attendant not only led her down the path of a dream job, but it also dictated the growth of her personal life.

“I met my husband in Acapulco during a layover,” she says. “He was traveling, I was working. Chatting by the pool, we realized we were both from Indianapolis, lived a few streets apart, and attended Manuel High School at the same time but never knew each other. We remained in contact and both soon realized that our relationship clicked. 48 years later, it is still clicking.”

“Mike was Mr. Mom when our four kids were still at home. All four were in every kind of activity, so there were lots of moving pieces,” she said. “I typically work three days on and four days off, so when I got back home, I would take the lead again. I flew more than 30 missions during Desert Storm and Desert Shield and was based in Shannon, Ireland, and the Azores as the flight attendant manager for several months. There is just no way I could have done that as a mother also without Mike holding down the fort at home.”

The couple owns and operates their real estate business, Landtree REALTORS, in Greenwood.

Crafton will mark her 50th year as a flight attendant on April 11, followed by her 70th birthday just 10 days later – two milestones she embraces.

“I don’t focus on age or any negative connotations associated with it; it’s just a number,” she says. “Aging is a privilege to accumulate knowledge. There is so much more I want to do, and I’m not slowing down. I want to witness my grandkids grow, travel with them, spend another 48 years with my husband, and enjoy the fruits of my labor.”