A video of a pilot sharing a moving moment on a “special flight” has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was posted by @brittanygallarneau and has garnered 1.1 million views since it was shared on May 10.
A caption shared with the post reads: “POV [point of view]: Your mom watches you become an airline Captain.”
The video shows the pilot standing at the front of the plane, addressing passengers on the speakerphone: “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard American Eagle flight service to Toronto.”
The pilot later points out that there are three flight attendants aboard the plane, including one “who has not worked for us in the past 26 years.”
Noting that she’s seated in 1A on the plane, the pilot says, “It’s my mom,” adding, “it’s my first time getting to fly her as a captain, so today is a special flight.”
The viral post comes as the pilot profession was ranked among the “100 Best Jobs” in the 2025 edition of the annual ratings by U.S. News & World Report, coming in at No. 15 this year.
The job ranked second among the listing’s “Best Social Service Jobs” and eighth for “Best Paying Jobs.” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a pilot’s median salary in 2024 was reported at $198,100 per year.
The BLS noted that the overall employment of airline and commercial pilots was forecast to grow 5 percent from 2023 to 2033.
Over the next decade or so, about 18,500 openings for airline and commercial pilots are projected each year, the BLS said, adding that “many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.”
‘So Sweet’
“I grew up in the back of these planes when I was just a baby and she’s taken me all over,” the captain said in the viral video, “so it means a lot to get to take her and you all to Toronto today.”
The clip ends with a picture of the pilot in her uniform, standing inside a plane beside her mom, as text overlaid on the video says: “I wouldn’t be here without you. I love you.”
TikTok users were in tears over the moment captured in the viral post.
Mckenna LiVolsi said, “This is so sweet!!! Congrats pretty lady,” while user milesthe.poodle wrote, “This is so pure and sweet.”
Julianna said, “The way I would be sobbing in my seat,” and Yash1025 posted: “I’m not crying, you’re crying.”
59Tele$ said: “Grown man here. It’s 8:00 on a Sunday morning. Why am I chopping onions?”
User malloriecorinne said: “Ugh I love seeing women as pilots.”
User stevenplaysbone wrote: “The only person I trust more to get me somewhere safely than myself is a pilot flying her mom.”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
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