A Father's Midair Surprise
A parent’s love knows no bounds. When life hands out a new chapter, a loving parent is always present - a child’s first day of school, First Holy Communion, high school graduation. Every parent aspires to be part of their children’s life milestones.
Ms. Ira Uy will soon become a Philippine Airlines Flight Attendant. She is currently a member of the ninth cabin crew training class of 2023 (ICCT 23-09), mentored by Senior Inflight Training & Development Specialist Anthony del Peña).
Ira and her classmates have just begun taking their “check rides” on actual passenger flights, in which inflight services trainers assess their safety and service competencies on the job.
A successful check ride would lead to the much-awaited graduation for these ladies and gentlemen who went through the rigorous training process that produces a first-rate professional cabin crew member.
When he learned from his wife that his daughter Ira’s check ride was scheduled for February 1, Mr. Johnny Uy hatched his surprise plan.
Unknown to everyone, Ira's father traveled quietly to General Santos City in Mindanao so that he could board the two-hour PAL flight from GenSan to Manila that was slated for her check ride.
Flight PR454 was assigned a 370-seater Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, the largest in PAL’s fleet. The sheer size of the aircraft and the busy boarding activity enabled Mr. Uy to board the flight undetected by Ira. The father sat himself at the rearmost cabin of the plane, eagerly waiting for his daughter to appear. Sure enough, Ira was assigned at Door 3, which is slightly a bit forward from where her father was seated.
At cruising altitude after departure from General Santos International Airport, the flight encountered a moment of turbulence. This prompted Ira to look towards the row of passenger seats nearest the galley, and lo and behold, she caught sight of her father Johnny, smiling from ear to ear.
Ira was in disbelief. She had to look twice at the familiar face. She was confused because she wasn’t expecting her father to be on the flight – he should have been in Manila! Line trainer Divine de Gracia noticed Ira beginning to engage with the smiling passenger, and only then did Ira reveal his identity.
Ira said, “I was actually clueless the whole time…It didn’t sink in to me that there is a possibility that my dad was on the flight because my mind was preoccupied that time.”
Mr. Uy said, “Because this is my daughter’s dream job. Pagdating sa mga anak ko lahat gagawin ko [If it’s for my children, I will do everything for them]. I want to show my love and support on her first flight. She may just be a trainee for now, but by showing my support, it will encourage her more to give her best all the time.”
After clearing up the unexpected situation, Divine had a nice talk with Ira’s father and was charmed to learn that Mr. Uy planned carefully for the mid-air surprise, having taken an earlier flight to make it in time to board his daughter’s check flight.
PR454 crewmembers were touched by what they witnessed and gave Mr. Uy a special accolade: an impromptu award for “Best Dad in the Whole World”.
Divine de Gracia shared her amazement. “I felt so impressed with the dad's gesture. I asked some of the crew members to prepare a little something to reward his loving gesture for his daughter - wrote in the goodies box - Best Dad in the World award.”
Upon their arrival in Manila, father and daughter joined all the members of the flight and cabin crew to seal the memorable experience via a series of photo snaps for posterity.
Indeed, her father’s 'fly along' adventure will surely become one of Ira’s core memories as she embarks on an exciting flying career with Philippine Airlines.