I was wondering when I should use these words: 'hostess', 'air hostess', 'stewardess' and 'flight attendant'. What are the differences between them?
Some examples:
One of the conference hostesses was very young.
That's why I also want to study several languages, to become an air hostess.
She worked as an airline stewardess.
Which should I use in each case?
Should I use "hostess" or "stewardess" for the people who help at conferences?
Best Answer
To me as a native British English speaker, hostess implies hospitality - she would be there to make your experience a good one. She could be the hostess of a dinner party, or a conference, making sure that the visitors have enough drinks and answering their questions, basically just keeping them comfortable.
However, stewardess implies keeping people 'in order', 'controlling' the people, and so you would have a stewardess at a cycling race or to keep crowds under control.
However, as Era said, it's considered a little backwards to use stewardess and hostess.