Alaska Airlines made history last week with its first all-female, African-American flight crew.

Captain Tara Wright and First Officer Mallory Cave were at the helm of Alaskan Flight #361 last Sunday heading from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon.

In a Facebook video, the two women stand at the front of the cabin seemingly preparing to address the passengers in a typical summary of the upcoming flight.



The passengers burst into applause at the announcement and one of the passengers asked the women to pose for a photo before they returned to the cockpit (Pictured, Wright, left, and Cave)

'Today is a fun day. We have Mother's Day, and I'm sure there are plenty of mothers on board this morning,' Wright began in her address to the cabin.

She also mentioned that it was her father's 80th birthday which he was spending by 'roaming the countryside in Spain this morning'.

Finally, Wright launches into the main reason why that Sunday is such a special day.

'And finally...you're sharing a pretty interesting piece of Alaska Airlines history this morning,' she said. 'You'll be piloted by two African-American female pilots, for the first time in Alaska Airlines history.'

The passengers burst into applause as Wright joked: 'You're making [history] this morning, whether you're awake or not.'

One of the passengers then asks the women to pose for a photo before they return to the cockpit.

The video was first uploaded to Wright's Facebook page before Alaska Airlines shared it on its social media page.

'History in the flying,' the airline captioned the post, also referencing Bessie Coleman, the first black woman to earn a pilot's license and fly a public flight.

'What Bessie Coleman started in 1921, we continue here,' the airline wrote.



According to the Institute for Women of Aviation Worldwide, 4.36 percent of airline pilots in the US are women, and Sisters of the Skies claims that there are less than 150 black female pilots in the US with licenses.

This is not the first time a US commercial flight had been commanded by an African-American female crew.

In February 2009, an Atlantic Southeast Airlines (now ExpressJet) flight from Nashville to Atlanta became the first to be manned by an all-female, all-African-American crew with Captain Rachelle Jones Kerr, First Officer Stephanie Grant, and flight attendants Diana Galloway and Robin Rogers.

According to the Institute for Women of Aviation Worldwide, 4.36 percent of airline pilots in the US are women.

And Sisters of the Skies, a nonprofit organization that helps promote women in the airline industry, claims that there are less than 150 black female pilots in the US who hold airline transport pilot, commercial, military, and/or certified flight instructor licenses.

Link to Video

Who cares?  We live in a stupid, messed up world, IMO.

ETA

My post was not directed at the OP or his post.  Thanks  for posting.

Yeah, no.

I'd rather not be on a flight where the pilots are almost certainly taking selfie, browsing instagram and applying makeup for the entire duration of the flight.

Oh, hell no.  I like to fly with pilots who are older men with gray hair.

Very important day in world history.

Such diversity.

There’s not much else to do up there. Do pilots even fly the plane anymore?

fixed

I'd rather fly with a Pilot judged on the content of their experience and training, rather than the color of their skin (or lack of a "y" chromosome)...

But I just have a "Dream" of arriving safely at my intended destination...

It’s amazing what makes “history” these days, and what is ignored all together.

Hate to burst their bubble....

Ethiopian airlines has been all Ethiopian for YEARS (recently from major route expansion they now hire foreigners for second seat only).

They did the all female crew thing last year a few years ago. They did it again last year. Rif

Google

BFD, we celebrate some of the dumbest shit ever conceived. It's no wonder why we are quickly becoming the paper tiger. Celebrate diversity, but fuck you whitey your achievements are overrated, we have an all-black, all-female aircraft crew. Watchout world our social progress is far surpassing your technological advancements. I know I sound like an 88'er, I'm far from it, I just cannot comprehend how this is important compared to so many other things that really deserve recognition.

I’ll take the one on the left two circle anytime she wants.

I’d still rather have the old guy who dodged SAM’s in a B-52 over Haiphong driving my flight to Orlando.

I guess I’m just racist.

NoPerspective is reality.

I didn't see it like that at all. I see it as an extension of the sixties. The movement was about being allowed opportunities.

I saw thisas a display to show (you name group /region who claim they are oppressed) opportunities exist for everyone.

What does them being (apparently) negro and having vaginas have to do with them being able to fly and land an airplane?

Just stop already.

I knew Wakanda was real

If they know what they are doing I have no problem flying with them. I don't like the SJW and PC charade. That to me is bullshit.

No, I think you are smart.

Anybody who doesn't realize the old (mostly) white (mostly) guys who are pushing retirement have more experience than all the rookies combined.

Anyone with any sense would rather have the experience. Fact is rookies have to get hours somewhere, buckle up!

They release a press statement (our company has a press person, in sure they do too) announcing their accomplishment. Does two things....

Free advertisement.

Sheilds against claims.

They can't lose. Except with some who don't think this through

Link to crash thread?

We see what women do when they drive a car, what could possibly go wrong.

What are you worried about? I don't think they parallel-park airplanes.

Not gonna get much equality if you keep announcing how special you are.

That's cool  good for them,  hard work got them there  ...  why  does cnn nbc abc call out  everything all white as racism

Oh no you didn't.

Well.  I am just suprised thet there were 2 black people in Alaska.

This is corporate virtue signaling.

About 20 years ago, I met a certain female pilot who used to fly for Alaskan (She paid for her own training), but her male cohorts harassed her pretty relentlessly, & she didn't get much support from AA.  Then her husband was part of a group that was killed in a blizzard during a Mt. Everest summit descent in 1996.  She pretty much got the short end of the stick, both personally & professionally.  I never did hear about a 3rd tragedy event, but there probably was one, since that's  how life works.

There have been countless times when a black woman was performing some duty for any of us (maybe in healthcare, transportation, whatever) and nobody made a fuss about it because they were just doing their job and were perfectly competent at it.

The SJW slant of this story is retarded.

Wut.jpg

Good for them. I’d let them fly me around anywhere, though I don’t want to travel to Alaska for them to do it.

I guarantee they got hired in the place of more qualified applicants.

Everyone is going to die.

Here’s the problem I have with ALL of this. I don’t really care who is helping me, working with me or providing me with a service. White, black, yellow or green, male or female, as long as they are the best most qualified person for the job. However with all the forced diversity I’m not really sure that’s what I’m getting.

Anyone with a valid pilots licence can land a plane when everything goes right.  Its when something goes wrong that the real skill of the pilot is displayed.  Not all pilots will put the passengers at equal risk when things go wrong.

Welcome aboard Worldstar Airlines bitches.

If I'm sitting on a plane and a couple of black lady pilots walked in, made the "Hello this is your pilot, Kesha Jones, today we'll be . . . ," I wouldn't give it a second thought.

However, if they gave a "diversity is our strength parade" like in this article, I'd be nervous about the flight, or maybe getting off the fucking plane.

That one on the right, who I presume is the first officer?

Not guilty!

I'd hit it!

No experience with the commercial side of things, but I’d place a large bet that you are correct.

A female/minority pilot is a rare life-form. I’ve met exactly 1 black lady pilot in a decade of flying AF airplanes.

Yeah, the big question here is "what is their training background," and to me, that is far more important than what color they are.

Are they ex-military pilots?

Or are they "diversity hires" who graduated dead last from a private flight academy, with no military experience?

That makes all the difference in how I would judge them.

Sort of want pic

See my first post in thread.

I've seen some pretty shitty female military pilots.

now DAS whas i'm talkin' about!
all up in that sky shit.

I'd bet my next paycheck on it. Women are coddled in aviation.

Unfortunately true.

The military is not immune to the "diversity hire" thing.

In fact, they may have invented it.