We’ve all been on a plane when the pilot announces a “special passenger” on board, but it’s usually always the case that the pilot’s either referring to someone celebrating a birthday or a frequent flyer member.
But on a United Airlines flight in January this year, when the pilot mentioned that there was a special passenger on board the plane, he truly meant it.
Michelle A’s mom had been a Capital Airlines flight attendant 60 years ago. She quit her job before the airline merged with United Airlines, putting her whole focus into raising her three children.
Now grown-up, Michelle wanted to give her mom a special surprise on their flight this year.
Michelle recorded the moment that the pilot made his announcement and asked, “If you were a Capital Airlines stewardess, would you mind raising your hand?”
In the video, Michelle’s mom can be seen looking over at her in surprise, then saying, “Oh my God,” and raising her hand.
Everyone claps around her as the pilot continues to praise Michelle’s mom for being “the greatest mom ever”. Mom, bless her, tosses her hand, like, “greatest mom ever, me? Come off it.”
But the announcement hasn’t finished there. The camera angles down the aisle, and the captain himself is walking down it.
Michelle’s mom gets a little emotional, putting her hand over her face and telling her family that she thinks she might cry. And then everything slots together – the pilot is Michelle’s older brother, and had followed in the footsteps of his mom, becoming a United Airlines pilot!
He walks right up to his mom and leans down to give her a big hug, saying, “Love you”.
His mom responds, “You had the greatest dad ever,” then adds to those sitting in the seats beside her, “His father was a pilot.” Flying definitely runs in the family, then!
It seems Michelle’s mom had no idea that her son would be piloting this flight, and what a happy surprise for her this must have been. Stumbling into a family member while onboard a plane must feel like a very unusual coincidence – though this had clearly been deliberately orchestrated in advance.
After less than a year on YouTube, Michelle’s video has proved so special that it has been watched by over 27 million people. People who commented only had nice things to say about Michelle’s mom’s surprise, with one person writing:
Someone else actually knew the captain personally, and shared:
“I LOVE HIM!!!!! HE is my favorite Captain on United… extremely professional and kind to passengers. When I started out as a flight attendant, he was patient unlike other pilots lol. His mom must be incredibly proud for raising a fine gentleman!! Beautiful video and heartwarming. Thank you for sharing. We need more Captains like him!!! ❤🤗”
You can watch the heartwarming moment that this mom realizes her son is flying the plane in the video below.
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