Jetstar pilot's heartwarming surprise for parents on board
When Raphael Leong became a pilot there were two very special passengers he had always wanted to fly.
After some stealth flight swapping to make sure he was on flight 3K78 to Singapore, first officer Leong managed to finally take off on the same flight his parents were on.
After introducing himself and welcoming Jetstar passengers, Mr Leong took to the microphone and announced that there were some VIP ticket holders on the flight.
“This is a very special flight for me because my parents are on board,” Mr Leong said beaming.
“And this is the first time in my life that they will be on a flight that I’ll be flying.”
Parents, Rosalind and Dennis Leong, were returning from a holiday and had no idea who was in the cockpit on that flight.
“I don’t know if they know it yet but Hi pa! Hi mum! Surprise! I love you,” Mr Leong announced as the passengers and crew applauded.
Cabin crew made sure they were filming the sweet announcement but managed to capture a moment they weren’t prepared for.
“I’m making the announcement and I saw nothing was happening.... I just saw my dad waving,” Mr Leong said.
“I realised that my dear mother was in the toilet!”
Mrs Leong may have been occupied during her son’s surprise but she still managed to hear the touching moment.
“I heard his voice and I said ‘that’s my son’s voice!’” the proud mother said.
The video has since been uploaded to Jetstar’s social media accounts and many were uplifted by the special moment.
“That was absolutely fantastic!” one woman said.
“Such a lovely video, so refreshing to see the human side of an airline and its staff nowadays, great stuff,” another commented.
One touched by the video said: “That’s a beautiful and very special moment, best of luck mate!”
The video ends with Mr Leong embracing his proud mother, who said she had always encouraged her son to “reach for the sky”.
Despite missing the announcement, she said she was proud of her pilot son.
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