Mother, daughter pilot crew takes inaugural flight together

(Gray News) – A mother and daughter pilot duo recently flew their first flight together, making history for Southwest Airlines.

“It’s been a dream come true,” Captain Holly Petitt said in a news release. “First, I found this career and fell in love with it, and then that one of my kids fell into this and in love with this career too. It’s surreal.”

Holly Petitt and her daughter, First Officer Keely Petitt, flew from their hometown of Denver to St. Louis on Flight No. 3658 for their inaugural flight together in July.

Holly Petitt started her career in aviation as a flight attendant and realized she wanted to learn to fly planes after riding the jumpseat in the flight deck, Southwest Airlines said.

She pursued her goals, training, obtaining certifications and taking flight lessons all while having three children and supporting her family as a full-time mom. Eventually, she was able to become a pilot for Southwest Airlines.

Kelly Petitt, who grew up around the airline’s family, decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps and also become a pilot.

Early in her education, Keely Petitt landed an internship with Southwest, which paved the way for her to learn more about a career in aviation.

“Southwest was always the end goal for me,” Keely Petitt said. “There was really never any other option.”

The Petitts are now Southwest Airlines’ first mother and daughter flight crew team.

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