A 23-year-old pilot gave her family the surprise of their life when she turned out to be the pilot flying them to their Palma, Spain vacation.
Derby-based Laura Gibson, who is one of the youngest pilots for TUI Airways, greeted her grandpa, Ray, 83, and her grandma, 79 as they boarded the plane at East Midlands Airport.
Heartwarming footage shows the moment when Pat sees her granddaughter waiting to greet them.
Pilot surprises grandparents on flight to Mallorca https://t.co/D5It51PJYJ pic.twitter.com/5CoYXjyQV5
— BBC East Midlands (@bbcemt) June 18, 2019
Pat hugs her daughter tight with both arms and kisses her endearingly on the cheek—she can’t believe her eyes!
Laura’s grandparents said they are extremely proud of her for pursuing her dreams of becoming a pilot!
“We are unbelievably proud of Laura’s career as a pilot. We just think she’s absolutely amazing,” Pat told the Mail Online.
Laura said at first, her grandma didn’t recognise her, but that she was over the moon when the realized she would be flying their plane.
A feel good Wednesday story, the moment a young pilot surprises her grandparents by flying them to their holiday https://t.co/oi5w68NBLc
— @itsherstorycic (@itsherstorycic) June 19, 2019
“My Granny didn’t even recognise me at first. She was very polite when she said hello, then realised it was me and gave me a huge hug! It was such a special moment,” Laura said.
Laura’s parents thought up the idea, and with the help of the TUI Airways team, Laura managed to arrange it so she could operate the flight to Palma with her grandparents.
She just wanted to see the look of pride on her grandparents’ faces!
The holiday destination has been a favourite for the pair, who have visited twice a year for over seven years!
Since Laura began her career as a pilot, she said her they have been “living and breathing their proud grandparent moments.”
Laura admitted she’d wanted to plan the surprise for a while, but the airline she previously worked for didn’t have the suitable mobility facilities for her grandparents.
She’d been planning the moment since she first joined TUI Airlines in November. How sweet!
It’ll definitely be a moment to remember for the whole family!