Southwest Airlines now has commissioned its 1st mother-daughter pilot duo to the skies.
Captain Holly Petitt and First Officer Keely Petitt recently took to the skies, adding a new chapter to Southwest’s history books. The duo flew their first flight on July 23rd, from their hometown in Denver to St. Louis.
“It’s been a dream come true. First, I found this career and fell in love with it, and then one of my kids fell into this and was in love with this career too. It’s surreal.” Let’s look at the Petitt family’s incredibly inspiring story.
The mother, Holly Petitt, has been working in the aviation industry right after college. She began her career as a flight attendant for another carrier but soon learned she would instead fly the plane after spending some time in the cockpit jumpseat. Holly also took care of her 3 kids while going through flight school, thanks to the immense support from other members of her family.
Women in Aviation International Conference
Holly got her first taste of Southwest Airlines when attending a Women in Aviation (WIA) International Conference. Impressed by the airline’s work culture, she applied for a position and passed the interview with flying colors. Holly has been with the airline for 18 years and describes her experience as “18 years later and I’m still giddy to do my job.”
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Southwest Airlines
Growing up, Keely had watched her mother work for Southwest and had naturally built a predilection towards the airline and aviation in general. The little geek was gifted a discovery flight by the airline when she was 14, which later led to a desire of becoming a pilot just like her mother. She landed an internship at Southwest’s Campus Reach Internship Program in fall 2017, making her official entry into the airline’s fold.
Keely completed her pilot training and obtained her Southwest Airlines wings in May earlier this year. The warmth she welcomed from the Southwest Airlines staff when she was little has been a major driving force in her decision to join the airline. Keely Petitt told. Southwest was always the end goal for me. There was really never any other option.”
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