Southwest Airlines pilot makes sweet announcement during his first flight with baby daughter on board
A Southwest Airlines pilot has marked his first flight with his baby daughter on board in the sweetest way possible.
In a viral TikTok video, posted by Southwest Airlines, a pilot named Ben is seen speaking over the planeâs public address system while holding a baby girl. âHey everyone, this is your first officer Ben. Iâll be taking us up to Denver today,â he began the announcement.
âJoined with me is little miss Ellie Rose,â the pilot said, bouncing his infant daughter up and down in his arms. âShe is my daughter, so this is a very special flight for me. This is her first flight with me as her pilot.â
The Southwest Airlines pilot noted that Ellie Rose wouldnât be flying solo, as her mother was also a passenger on the flight. While he joked that his baby girl âwonât rememberâ the important milestone, he maintained that they have âa lot more memories to comeâ.
Although babies on planes might make any passenger a little worried about the potential sound of crying, the father assured travellers that his daughter is pleasant â90 per centâ of the time. âThe good news is 90 per cent of the time she is very giggly. The bad news is 10 per cent of the time she has some serious pipes,â he warned.
âSo, I hope you get the 90 per cent and if not⊠blame her mother,â the pilot jokingly added. âEnjoy the flight and weâll see you in Denver.â
Since it was posted to TikTok on Wednesday 13 March, the video has been viewed two million times. In the caption, Southwest Airlines wrote: âTalk about precious cargo.â
Meanwhile, many TikTokers took to the comments section to gush over the sweet father-daughter moment.
âHis face before speaking,â one person noted. âHe was so ready to introduce her.â
âThe way she looked at him announcing that itâs their first fight together,â another said. âShe was so proud.â
âThis is so cute,â said someone else. âHe was so proud and excited.â
Others simply pointed out how safe theyâd feel flying on a plane where the pilotâs daughter is also a passenger.
âThe way I would be so happy thinking heâd fly extra carefully with his baby on board,â said one person, while another wrote: âI would feel so safe on that flight.â
This isnât the first time a member of airplane staff has made a sweet announcement before take-off. Last year, a United Airlines pilot went viral when he shared a video of the pre-flight announcement he made on a plane from Washington, DC, to Madrid, Spain. The pilot, Cole Doss, was marking his first-ever flight with his mother as a flight attendant.
In his announcement, Doss said that there were some of the âmost talented flight attendantsâ on the plane, including his âexceptional momâ.
âSheâs been one of my biggest supporters in my life and in my career becoming a pilot, ever since my very first flight lesson,â he said before plane passengers started to clap for him.
Doss explained that he was thrilled to be working on the same flight as his mother for the first time in his career, adding: âIâm especially honoured and excited to be able to fly her for the first time today and to be able to share this experience with all of you on our flight to Madrid.
âTo my mom, I love you. And to everyone on board, welcome aboard our family-friendly skies.â