Heinrich Kubis

Heinrich Kubis (16 June 1888 – 1979) was a German professional waiter known for serving as the world's first flight attendant[1] and for surviving the Hindenburg disaster.

[2] In March 1912, Kubis began attending to passengers on the LZ 10 Schwaben during flights from Berlin to Friedrichshafen.

[3] He thereby preceded the debut of the first female flight attendant, Ellen Church, by eighteen years.

On the Hindenburg Kubis was not only a flight attendant but the manager of the entire waitstaff, overseeing fifteen cooks and waiters.

[5] He was responsible for confiscating cigarette lighters and matches from passengers as they boarded the aircraft, stating, "We Germans don't fool around with hydrogen.