First woman to fly jets on a permanent basis for a U.S. airline

On February 6, 1973, just days after being hired by Frontier Airlines, Emily Howell Warner flew her first trip as second officer on a Frontier Boeing 737, becoming the first woman to fly jets on a permanent basis for a U.S. airline as part of the scheduled flight crew. This was not a one‑off promotional flight, but the start of regular line operations.

At the time, U.S. jet airliner cockpits were entirely male; commercial jet travel symbolized technological modernity, yet its crews reflected mid‑century gender exclusions. Warner’s presence on the 737 flight deck challenged passenger expectations and some colleagues’ assumptions, as she shouldered the same checklists, systems monitoring, and flight‑deck coordination required of any second officer.

The historical significance of this flight lies in its normality: from that day forward, a woman’s regular participation in jet operations at a mainstream U.S. carrier became part of everyday airline practice. It demonstrated that women could meet jet‑aircraft performance standards and cockpit teamwork demands without any compromise in safety or professionalism.

Her February 6 flight also contributed to changing hiring policies and union attitudes. As future female jet pilots pointed to Warner’s successful performance, it became harder for airlines to claim that women were unsuitable for such roles. The first permanent jet flight she crewed at Frontier marked a practical dismantling of gender barriers in the high‑status realm of commercial jet piloting in the United States.