Pilot

Pilot
Season 1, Episode 1

Air date	September 25 2011
Written by	Jack Orman
Directed by	Thomas Schlamme
Episode Guide
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Pilot is the 1st episode of the first season and the Series Premiere. It attracted 11.06 million views

Summary[]

Dean pilots the Clipper Majestic's first New York to London flight and searches for his girlfriend, Bridget, learning some shocking news. Maggie, a stewardess on probation for not wearing her girdle to work, is unexpectedly reinstated when the scheduled purser, Bridget, does not show. Kate takes a U.S. intelligence assignment. Meanwhile, Laura must deal with people coming up to her, asking if she is the stewardess on the cover of Life magazine, and trying to do her best while not bothering her sister, Kate. Colette sees a former lover (John) on the flight, only to find out he is accompanied by his wife and son.

Recap[]

Pan Am is set to embark on a flight from New York to London, and it's Laura Cameron's first full day as a Pan Am airline stewardess. Laura is somewhat famous after making the cover of Life Magazine. As Laura frets about her uniform, another stewardess, Collette , is there to help out. Laura's sister, Kate Cameron , is also a stewardess on the same flight. The flight crew meets with the captain, Dean , and his First Officer, Ted Vanderway. Everything is nearly ready for departure.

However, Bridget Pierce, the head attendant (or purser), has gone missing. Maggie Ryan is called in to replace her, and she rushes over to the Pan Am building, changing into her uniform in the cab on the way. Collette recognizes one of the passengers as John, a man she met in Rome. What she didn't expect was that John's wife and son were also accompanying him on this trip. He never mentioned he was married!

Collette strives to keep her composure during the flight, even as John continues to flirt with her. She doesn't want to be the other woman. At the end of the flight, John's wife asks Collette to keep the picture their son drew, as a reminder to not sleep with married men.

There is a flashback to Laura's wedding day, and she's extremely nervous. Her mother seems more proud of her getting married than of Kate's career as a hostess, which frustrates Kate. As Mom and Kate argue, Laura starts to have second thoughts about getting married. She realizes she wants a life like Kate's, traveling the world. Laura confesses to Kate that she doesn't want to get married, and the two sisters escape in Daddy's car.

Kate has already taken some steps in order to rise out from Laura's shadow. She has been tapped to work with USIntelligence and her first assignment will occur during this flight. She is to exchange the passport of a Russian passenger with an expired one, but she doesn't know how to make the switch. When the Russian recognizes Laura as the Life cover girl, Kate grabs the chance as the man is distracted.

After the flight arrives in London, Kate is shocked to find the Russian waiting in her hotel room. The man confesses that he's not a Russian, but a member of MI6. He tells her that she's passed her first test. The man also tells her that she did come highly recommended from her predecessor, Bridget Pierce.

Speaking of Bridget, Dean spends his first flight as a full-fledged pilot worrying over her disappearance. It turns out that they were lovers, and that during the evacuation of Cuba after the Bay of Pigs incident, Dean asked Bridget to marry him. She had to refuse, because Pan Am stewardesses have to be single. Dean offers his wings to her as a reminder, though.

The cockpit hears that Bridget resigned from Pan Am, and Ted suggests that this means Bridget is ready to say yes. Dean is excited until he goes to Bridget's apartment in London and finds it empty, his wings on the table where she left them. Dean and Ted are at a pub, Dean trying to drown his sorrows and both men marveling at the stewardesses close by. Bridget lingers outside the pub for a moment before going into a cab.