Chip Chick
When Keely was 14, she took a discovery flight with her two siblings and instantly fell in love with the idea of flying.
Keely followed in her mother’s footsteps and has been a pilot for seven years.
She joined Southwest Airlines as a pilot in May 2022 after having also interned at the company while still in college.
Before she joined Southwest, Keely worked at regional carrier Horizon Air for three years, beginning in 2019.
With pride and excitement, Holly had made a special announcement on the day Keely and she was flying together.
“Today is a special day for me,” Holly said while the whole plane applauded. “I would like to introduce you to your first officer, a brand new member of the Southwest team of pilots, and my daughter, Keely.”
“It’s been a dream come true,” she continued, “First, I found this career and fell in love with it, and then one of my kids fell into this and in love with it too. It’s surreal.”
Holly’s daughter Keely, now also her First Officer, has felt the same way.
“I’ve known I wanted to fly with my mom my whole life. It was surreal and incredible, just like my mom said,” Keely stated with appreciation.
“As a kid, I always watched her do her job but getting to understand it and see it all again, just like she shared our joy with her co-workers and the customers.”
“It was just the perfect day. It was incredible. I could not be more grateful.”
