Mr. Akana has held the No. 1 spot at United for the past five years, since Iris Peterson retired after 60 years of service at the age of 85.

While many of his older colleagues are still flying because they have to, Mr. Akana said he does not work for the paycheck alone. At one time, just after he turned 70, Mr. Akana was among the highest-paid flight attendants at the airline, earning $106,000 a year through a combination of pay, pension and Social Security — a situation that has earned him a “triple dipper” label by younger colleagues and airline bookkeepers.

“When I fly, it’s vacation money,” Mr. Akana likes to joke. But after flying for so many years, the idea of hanging up his sparkling wings is hard for him to fathom. He added that he would miss the people he works with, the passengers he meets and the routine he goes through for every trip, laying out his uniform and packing the night before.

“I just always felt that it’s just too much a part of my life,” he said.

Decades ago, hiring policies ensured that the ranks of flight attendants remained young. Stewardesses faced mandatory retirement by 32. If they married or became pregnant, they were out. In 1966, a New York Times classified ad for stewardesses at Eastern Airlines listed these requirements: “A high school graduate, single (widows and divorcees with no children considered), 20 years of age (girls 19 1/2 may apply for future consideration). 5’2” but no more than 5’9,” weight 105 to 135 in proportion to height and have at least 20/40 vision without glasses.”

Stewards like Mr. Akana were not subject to quite as strict regulations. In 1963, he married a fellow flight attendant, Elizabeth Ann Ebersole. They met on Waikiki Beach six months earlier when a colleague played matchmaker. He continued to fly. She promptly quit.

“In those days, you had to,” she said. “There was no way I could be sneaky about it.”

The next year, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law, but it was not until years later, after numerous lawsuits against airlines’ discriminatory practices, that such rules fell away and what had been a transient job for primarily young women turned into a longtime career. Mr. Akana’s daughter, Jean, born that same year, is now a 22-year veteran flight attendant for United.