50 year love story: Here’s the couple on a trip to China. Ian passed away in 2021, but Ilona says she still gets “butterflies in my stomach” when she thinks of him. “My husband always said, ‘People really love a good love story,'” says Ilona. “We were lucky to have a beautiful love affair.”Love in the air: Ian Duncan, then a Pan Am first officer, and Ilona Zahn, a Pan Am flight attendant met on an airplane in 1970 and fell in love. Here they are a year later, in 1971.
Love in the air: Ian Duncan, then a Pan Am first officer, and Ilona Zahn, a Pan Am flight attendant met on an airplane in 1970 and fell in love. Here they are a year later, in 1971.
Ilona Duncan
Dating across the world: For the next couple of years, Ian and Ilona enjoyed what Ilona calls “a wonderful love affair.” Their jobs allowed them to date across the world — from strolling along the Seine in Paris to going on a safari in Kenya. Here they are photographed in 1974.International lifestyle: Ian and Ilona started living together in Long Island, New York and later got married. Here they are during a period living in Sydney, Australia.Career progression: Their careers progressed too. Here’s Ian when he became a Boeing 707 captain, photographed with Ilona.Final flight: Here’s the couple pictured on Ian’s last Pan American flight. “I think the main thing that we had is we started the marriage with a lot of love,” says Ilona.
