United Airlines First Captain Jerome Lawrence made a dream come true on April 30 when he surprised his mother, Gwendoline, by piloting her first-class flight to Port of Spain, Trinidad. As Captain Lawrence addressed his cabin that proud day — Flight 2353 from Houston — he remembered his late father, John, who died four months before their departure.
Captain Lawrence, 34, managed to hide that he was piloting the flight from his mother until she boarded. To her surprise — and the applause of the flight’s other passengers — the pilot noted that it was his first time flying his mother to Trinidad.
Towards the end of his address, he implored all the parents in the cabin to continuously encourage their children to pursue their dreams. Then, the pilot and his mom shared a warm embrace before takeoff.
“I can’t even begin to express how important it is to share this moment with you. It’s been a long road for us,” said Captain Lawerence, a born Tobagonian who hadn’t been back in 17 years. “My dad should have been here on this flight, but he decided to fly higher than all of us. He’s up there with the other angels watching over us. And so, again, thank you for flying United. Thank you for being here with us.”
According to Good Morning America, the Denver-based pilot wanted the surprise to be the “best thing I’ve ever, ever done.”
How Did Captain Lawrence’s Mother React On The Flight To Trinidad?
Gwendoline was speechless and seemed overcome with emotion as her son revealed himself and addressed the cabin. The matriarch told GMA that becoming a pilot was her son’s childhood dream. She noted that the flight to Trinidad and Tobago was particularly emotional because it was the first time she flew “home to no one” due to her husband’s passing.
See Captain Lawrence’s full recap below.
