Addressing a 60 year old woman as "Miss" is condescending. "Ms" is not impolite, but I would really wonder why the flight attendant would go up to her to give her the name in case she wanted to complain and then call her "Miss". This is 2013. "Miss" was inappropriate. "Mam" would have been acceptable.
Calling a 60 year old woman "Miss" is like calling a flight attendant "stewardess"
How so?
From Miriam-Websters online Dictionary Definition of MISS
1
capitalized
a —used as a title prefixed to the name of an unmarried woman or girl
b —used before the name of a place or of a line of activity or before some epithet to form a title for a usually young unmarried female who is representative of the thing indicated <Miss America>
2
: young lady —used without a name as a conventional term of address to a young woman
3
: a young unmarried woman or girl
4
plural : a clothing size for women of average height and build
What in there is condescending based on age. Based on the fact that the male next to identified himself as her husband, I can see her being put out, but based on age? As a 51 year old woman, I am not insulted by "Miss" and I think people who are are looking to be offended.