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Posted May 1, 2023

Mother-Daughter Pilot Duo Break Barriers Above the Clouds

Mother-Daughter Pilot Duo Break Barriers Above the Clouds

Every pilot is excited to get their wings, but Keely Petitt’s inaugural flight was particularly inspiring as she was greeted by a special co-pilot: her mom. Southwest Airlines had for the first time in their 55 years of aviation a mother-daughter team in the cockpit. Captain Holly Petitt, a converted flight attendant turned pilot who has been in the sky for over two decades, had the opportunity to welcome her daughter into the ranks … talk about motherly love.

Holly admits she was nervous about making the in-flight announcement introducing Keely. “I just keep using the word ‘surreal.’ You have this little baby, you’re holding her in your arms, and in a blink of an eye, there she is sitting on the flight deck next to you,” she told Good Morning America. On her end, Keely shared: “My whole life, I knew I wanted to fly with my mom and it was just like my mom said, it was so surreal and so incredible.”

In addition to this unique family moment, Holly and Keely are setting a great example for the next generation of female pilots. Keely mentioned: “On my last flight yesterday, I had a woman walking by to go take her seat and she was like, ‘Yes, girl power!’ so it’s been really fun and really cool to just get to interact with people in that way.” The two can’t wait to fly together again and if we’re being honest, we hope to have them as our crew next time we’re in the sky.

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