Margaret Losco still remembers the thrilling sense of pride she felt when she walked into the airport for the first time as an air hostess 36 years ago.

"I remember my first flight. I was 18 and I went to Rome. I was really excited about getting ready and wearing my uniform. It was a blue A-line skirt, a white top with a Chinese collar, a cravat with the Maltese cross, a jacket with no collar with a hat and red and blue shoes and bag," she smiles.

"It felt like being on a catwalk and, I think, this feeling is common to most of us. What I mean is that there is a sense of pride in wearing a uniform. If you normally slouch, once you put on your uniform you represent your airline and walk properly. Till today I wash and blow dry my hair right before I leave and ensure my uniform is spotless.

"Uniforms must be worn properly. I style my hair for my uniform. I can't have a hairstyle I can't wear the new hat on, for example," she says, adding she thinks the new uniform is very elegant. Ms Losco started flying in December 1974, with the second lot of cabin crew as the first had joined in April that year when Air Malta was launched.

"Air Malta came at the right time in my life. I never wanted an office job. I managed to raise a family on this job," she says.

When she tied the knot in 1980 she was forced to resign since the law did not allow married women to work. After she had two of her three daughters, the law changed allowing married women to work. She returned in 1986 when Air Malta was looking for trained crew for what was to be just six months that somehow dragged on to today.

Although she was thrilled to re-join, she returned to a "hideous" uniform. "Someone had come up with the bright idea to match the crew to the interiors of the plane that were brown and grey. We had a hideous grey dress topped with a light brown overall. That dress was a nightmare to iron," she recalls.

But, to her delight, the uniform was soon changed to one of her favourite ones with a feminine Maltese lace collar which she adored. She also recalls a colourful red, blue and white dress. "When we walked in the airports, people asked us what airline we were from. And that was a nice feeling," she grins.

"Being a stewardess is a job where you have to look good, have your hair done and wear make-up no matter what time of day... You have to believe that looking after people is a rewarding job, anticipate passengers' needs, be patient but not too strict and, most important, have a sense of humour."