Most teenagers would rather crawl under a hole than listen to their dad give them a shout-out in a public announcement.
But one 18-year-old appeared not to mind it so much on a flight to a Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert while traveling with her dad, who happened to be the pilot on board and a "Swiftie," the collective name for Swift's fans.
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The daughter captured her dad's Taylor Swift-themed speech over the plane's PA system in a viral video from her TikTok account @tallymark28. The footage, taken on a United flight to Paris, the French capital, has amassed over 577,000 views since it was posted on May 24.
A message overlaid on the clip says: "When the pilot to the Eras Tour is a Swiftie." A caption shared with the post continues: "And he brings you along on the trip because it's your birthday."
The footage shows the daughter seated on a plane and smiling into the camera while the pilot shares an epic announcement peppered with Taylor Swift-themed references, including various mentions of her songs and even a nod to Travis Kelce, the American football player who is dating Swift.
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The pilot later says in the announcement: "To my daughter who is on board with us and celebrating her 18th birthday this week, happy birthday Tally, You Belong With Me [another song by Swift]."
One of the biggest perks of being a pilot are the flight benefits, Tony Shen, a former pilot who is the president of the Wayman Aviation Academy, told Newsweek in January 2023.
"Most U.S. carriers offer free non-revenue flights to employees and their spouse/partner and children," he noted.
Dan Bubb, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who is a historian and former airline pilot, previously told Newsweek that pilots, flight attendants, their spouses, and children only have to pay the taxes on tickets. The same applies to "buddy" passes.
"Spouses, children, and 'buddies' fly 'standby' while the pilots/flight attendants can ride in jump seats [seats for non-passengers who aren't operating the aircraft] if those seats are unoccupied," the professor said.
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The latest viral post comes amid an ongoing pilot shortage as the industry struggles to keep up with the demand for air travel, which has returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
Last year, Faye Malarkey Black, the president and CEO of the Regional Airline Association, warned a U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee about "the coming tsunami of pilot retirements." According to Black, "Over the next 15 years, nearly 50 percent of the commercial airline workforce will be forced to retire because they will reach the age of 65."
According to Boeing's pilot and technician outlook report for 2023-2042, the industry will need 649,000 new pilots to replace the aging workforce and maintain the global commercial fleet over the next 20 years.
'Tortured Pilots Department'
The pilot in the latest viral clip says over the PA system, captioned: "Good morning, folks, from the Tortured Pilots Department. Thank you for sharing one of your Midnights with us on this flight 'Taylor-made' for you to Paris." Tortured Poets Department is both a song and album while Midnights is a studio album by Swift.
Noting that the seatbelt signs are about to be turned on in around 10 minutes, the pilot says, "Are You Ready For It?" referencing a tune from the pop star.
"Our flight was very Swift today and we will be landing in 22 minutes to touchdown like Travis Kelce...," the pilot continues. 22 is from the pop star's Red era.
He later says: "We hope your journey here in Paris or wherever you may be connecting to whether for one night or a Fortnight [a song by Swift] is beyond your Wildest Dreams [another song by Swift].
"Thank you all for choosing to fly with us today and we hope we will be Getting Back Together [another tune from Swift] here on another United flight soon...," the pilot concludes.
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
A stock image of a pilot sitting in the cockpit of a plane, adjusting his headset while he's about to make an announcement. A video of a pilot's epic Taylor Swift-themed onboard announcement has gone...A stock image of a pilot sitting in the cockpit of a plane, adjusting his headset while he's about to make an announcement. A video of a pilot's epic Taylor Swift-themed onboard announcement has gone viral on TikTok.iStock / Getty Images PlusDo you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
