This is really adorable, and I’m kind of sad I didn’t know about this couple until their retirement flight…
We’ve sometimes seen airlines highlight how multiple generations are working at an airline, how a parent and child may be working together on a flight for the first time, etc.
But up until now I hadn’t heard of this couple, Joe and Margrit, as both fly the Airbus A330 for Delta Air Lines. They share their adventures through Instagram (@flyingfahans), and this past week they finally retired. Joe had been at Delta for 36.5 years, while Margrit had been at Delta for 35 years, so that’s a combined 71.5 years of service at the airline. Wow.
Here’s a video they uploaded as they started their very last trip, from New York to Milan:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDrvFrXhVsu/
Then they uploaded a video from their two day layover on their retirement trip, as they visited Venice and Lake Como:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDvvwYuBGhR/
Then here’s a video they uploaded upon completing their last flight, having arrived back in New York (this was emotional for them, as they got a surprise water cannon salute):
https://www.instagram.com/p/CD2A2JUBhmE/
Kudos to both of them — what an incredible career, and even though these are tough times for the industry, it sounds like they really made the best of it.
One thing that’s not known is if they were actually coming up on the retirement age, or if they decided to take one of Delta’s early-out packages. Based on the fact that they had each been at the airline for 35+ years they must have been approaching retirement. Given that they retired on exactly the same flight, my guess is that they took some sort of an early-out package.
Congrats, Joe and Margrit, and here’s to lots more adventures with whatever you choose to do next (it sounds like they have plans beyond retirement)!
I love that he mentioned the younger pilots. My 15 year old son is on a path to fly, it's amazing how supportive a group pilots are. Last fall we took a quick JetBlue flight to LGB, coming out we were talking with the pilots, the Captain popped up out of his seat and told my son to sit down in the left seat and then talked with him for nearly 10 min about flying....
I love that he mentioned the younger pilots. My 15 year old son is on a path to fly, it's amazing how supportive a group pilots are. Last fall we took a quick JetBlue flight to LGB, coming out we were talking with the pilots, the Captain popped up out of his seat and told my son to sit down in the left seat and then talked with him for nearly 10 min about flying. While I don't question my own career path, flying has always been on my mind (Air Force cutbacks in the early '90s pointed me a different direction than flying). It's good to see pilots looking out for the new crop!
Thanks for sharing such a simple, positive story.
Love this story. Wish I could have been on their last flight
O hey, by the way, they operated a scheduled airline flight safely from takeoff to touchdown, the same way they did their entire career. Bravo Zulu, good night and God speed!
I may have cried. So darn cute.
@Jan,
If they divest their investment from delta stock then probably yes. A lot of money.
Even cooler part is from just scrolling through their Instagram, it looks like they did a lot of flying together (since she's an FO with 35 years, she is probably at the top of the FO bidding list which makes it relatively easy to pair up). That's a great way to make the job of being a pilot even more fun - get to travel together on their layovers.
That's a lot of retirement money between those two. Congrats and good for them!
This made my day. Thank you for posting it.
My next-door neighbor (also a Delta pilot) took the buy-out package. His father was a Delta pilot, and is son is a Delta pilot, who will be laid off after Federal aid expires this fall. I was chatting with him last night on his last trip, which his family went along for. His son got to sit in the jump seat of his last leg, which was super emotional for him. These pilots who have...
My next-door neighbor (also a Delta pilot) took the buy-out package. His father was a Delta pilot, and is son is a Delta pilot, who will be laid off after Federal aid expires this fall. I was chatting with him last night on his last trip, which his family went along for. His son got to sit in the jump seat of his last leg, which was super emotional for him. These pilots who have been around for >30 years have so much pride in the airlines they fly for. Regardless of if this is true for others or not, he totally took the buy-out package because he felt a sense of commitment in supporting a sustainable recovery for younger pilots, like his son. Cool stuff.