Tag Archives: Family

May 12

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing SkyWest moms and those inspiring mothers who fuel our aviation dreams! This includes the moms highlighted below who have shared their love for aviation and encouraged their kids to join the SkyWest team.

Susan C. & Stacey J.

Susan and her daughter, Stacey, share a love of flying and adventure. Their passion and desire to follow their dreams eventually brought these two DEN-based flight attendants to SkyWest.

Susan got started at SkyWest in 2006 and says it opened the door to the world for her. She continually told Stacey that she should consider a career in the skies too.

In 2022, Stacey decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps and join SkyWest Airlines as a flight attendant. Inspired by her mother’s career and driven by her own passion for travel, Stacey eagerly embraced the opportunity to take to the skies.

“My mom had me young, and we are 16 years apart,” said Stacey. “I admire my mom, her spirit, her sense of adventure, and her charming authentic ability to connect with every person she comes into contact with.”

Coincidentally, Susan and Stacey both became SkyWest flight attendants at the age of 52 and both graduated from their initial training classes in the month of October – 16 years apart. Their synchronized paths have deepened their bond as mother and daughter.

“I was honored to be able to attend my daughter’s SkyWest flight attendant graduation and pin her wings on her,” said Susan. “A year and a half later here we are finally working our first trip together. Flying with my daughter by my side was a dream come true.”

Their recent first work trip together was a special moment, symbolizing their shared dream and strength of their close bond.

“To see her wearing the same uniform, with the same passion for service, was a moment I’ll cherish forever,” said Susan. “We can’t wait to fly together again. I am one proud mama!”

Robin and Captain Colten M.

Fresno-based flight attendant Robin came to SkyWest in 2014. The new career was not only a great opportunity for her, but it also reignited the childhood dream of her son, Captain Colten M., to become an airline pilot. “All Colten ever wanted to do was become an airline pilot,” Robin said. “But throughout the years, we were told over and over that the qualifications were out of reach. So, we’d put it to the side.” Once Robin met other SkyWest pilots and learned what it takes to meet the requirements, she immediately got in touch with Colten.

“I was confused by how young the pilots were,” said Robin. “I finished up training, headed home, and said “Let’s reevaluate!”

Captain Colten M. had been in school to get a degree in forestry when he stopped everything and immediately jumped into flight school, knowing he had to make the switch. Even before being hired, he had already forged numerous connections with the Fresno-based crewmembers and felt like a part of the SkyWest family before even taking his first official commercial flight. This sense of belonging and camaraderie further fueled his determination to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot with SkyWest.

“My mom and I have always been very close,” said Captain Colten M.. “I can’t say for sure where I’d be or what career I would’ve gone with, but I’m a Captain here at SkyWest because my mom paved the path. She had my back the entire way and was my first passenger as a private pilot. Now I pretend to be in charge while we work together here at SkyWest.”

May 10

Mother and Son Take Flight Together

“Mom, secure the cabin.”

Trenton Crull’s announcement from the flight deck was a moment a lifetime in the making and a thrill for both him and his mom.

“I’ve had the privilege to fly both my mom and dad while they were passengers on my flight before, but being able to work with my mom as the flight attendant was pretty special,” said Trenton. “Being able to say, ‘Mom secure the cabin’ just made it all that more meaningful.”

Trenton is a SkyWest CRJ captain based in Colorado Springs, Colorado (COS) and Melodee Crull is a flight attendant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota (MSP), so the opportunity to work flight 4037 between Minneapolis and Bismarck, North Dakota together earlier this year was a rare treat.

“I told my passengers they were part of a very unique flight, as my son was one of the pilots and we were working our first flight together. ‘Mom, secure the cabin’ definitely brought laughter from the passengers,” said Melodee. “As I sat in the jumpseat upon takeoff, it was hard not to tear up thinking about my son flying the plane that I was working as a flight attendant. It’s not often that so many dreams come true in one day!”

Mother and son have crossed paths a few times since Trenton’s early days at SkyWest when he was stationed in Detroit, Michigan (DTW). Once Trenton moved to COS, their schedules got more difficult to coordinate.

“I have wanted to do this since I found out Trenton was joining me at SkyWest in November of 2017. Believe me, we’ve tried several times to get things to work out,” said Melodee.

“Luckily I had three weeks off waiting for my captain Initial Operating Experience and I found a trip to pick up in MSP,” added Trenton. “There was already a flight attendant on it, but my mom messaged her and worked it out to get on that trip.”

Melodee attributes her love of airplanes to her father, who worked at Cessna and Boeing in Wichita, Kansas when she was young. Being a flight attendant was always her dream, but for several years she filled her life with caring for a family. In 2017, the perfect opportunity came for Melodee to revive her childhood dream and she interviewed with SkyWest.

“I love my crews. I have made so many great friends and anyone who has flown with me knows, I am a bit of a comedian and love to joke around and have fun. I also love interacting with my passengers! I have so much fun kidding around with them,” said Melodee. “I love that SkyWest has provided the opportunity to visit places I would otherwise never have got to visit.”

Her happiness at SkyWest influenced Trenton’s decision to come to SkyWest as well.

Melodee remembers her son aspired to be a pilot as early as the 2nd grade. A local pilot in the Crull’s hometown would take kids up on a flight as a reward for completing a school reading program every year and Trenton got to fly with him a few times.

“After that first flight I was hooked. I loved flying, but I didn’t know how to make it a career,” said Trenton. “It wasn’t until after I graduated high school that I started looking at how to pursue aviation as a career.”

Trenton completed flight training at the University of Central Missouri. He taught there for about a year after earning his certifications and then took a job flying private jets in St. Louis. When he earned the flight hours and experience to move to a regional airline, and with some urging from his mom, he applied at SkyWest.

“I remember texting him and saying, ‘YOU HAVE TO APPLY WITH SKYWEST! This company is amazing,’” recalled Melodee.

“She talked highly of SkyWest as a company and how fun the crews were and it was then that I started looking more in-depth at it,” said Trenton. “She was a big factor in my decision to come to SkyWest.”

“Trenton has recently finished his upgrade to captain and I couldn’t be more proud,” said Melodee. “He is a great person, with compassion for people and he truly loves his career, that’s what makes him a great pilot. I would be honored to fly with this captain any day.”

Thank you to all the moms like Melodee who inspire us to pursue our dreams in the aviation industry.

Nov 18

SkyWest Bases Host Family Fly-ins

On top of providing crews with some of the best flying opportunities in all the industry, SkyWest Airlines is proud of the culture of teamwork that extends across the 13,000 aviation professionals at the airline. And that team spirit was on display as SkyWest people at hubs across the country organized fly-in picnics for employees and their families.

Crewmembers in Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis and Detroit hosted events where those in attendance were able to fly the open skies as pilots brought in their personal aircraft and gave sightseeing rides. Additionally, everyone shared excellent food and great company.

During the events, SkyWest leadership joined in the fun with COO Mike Thompson, Flight Ops VP Tracy Gallo, InFlight VP Sonya Wolford and more leaders attending the fly-ins.

“I love SkyWest,” said PDX flight attendant Elaine Hergert. “Who has a company picnic and gives airplane rides to kids? So awesome! I love my job.”

These fly-in events are just one of the many examples of how SkyWest people create a culture of teamwork and success for employees and their families.

To learn more about becoming a part of our team, click here.

May 03

Welcome SkyWest Future Flyers!

Over the past couple of weeks, SkyWest people in several locations gave a warm welcome to our Future Flyers as part of Bring Our Kids to Work Day 2017. These events gave kids a firsthand look into SkyWest and what it takes to safely operate 2,000 flights a day across the country.

Events were highlighted by VIP tours of airport facilities, training simulators, and airplanes, where kids got the opportunity to sit in the flight deck and make “safety announcements.” And while not every location could accommodate tours, there was plenty of hands-on experience with marshaling aircraft, assembling aircraft parts and learning all about what it takes to become a pilot.

LAX Captain Louis Yu was able to bring his wife and two daughters to the event held at SkyWest Headquarters – the family left with a lasting impression.

“In our children’s minds, SkyWest is now an experience and a memory,” said Captain Yu.

Speaking to a room of bright-eyed and excited children, SkyWest, Inc. CEO Chip Childs reminded them what SkyWest is all about.

“Your moms and dads are the very best in the industry and they do the work they do because they love you so much,” he said. “That’s what makes SkyWest such a special place.”

Thanks to everyone who attended and all those who coordinated the many events. It’s always a fun day to have our future flyers in the workplace. We look forward to welcoming the next generation of flyers to the SkyWest team in the next 10-15 years!