An 88-year-old grandmother finally got to cross flying on an airplane off her bucket list — after her grandson became a pilot and landed her a first-class ticket.
Frances Dahlke, of Wisconsin, had held off flying and said she would only take to the skies if her grandson, who was training to be a commercial airline pilot, was behind the wheel, local WXOW reported.
After getting his wings last summer, grandson Alex Shupe finally took his grandmother into the sky over the weekend, with the pilot even getting her a cushy first-class seat.
The flight also marked the first time Shupe would be flying with his parents aboard the plane.
“Today, this flight is a pretty special one for me,” Shupe told passengers before the flight. “I got both of my parents sitting up in front, as well as my grandma.
“My parents have never been on a plane with me before, and my grandma, 88-years-old, she has never flown in her life, and this is very first flight ever. So pretty special experience for me and her,” he added.
Frances said she adored the experience, even if the flight lasted less than two hours as the family flew from the La Crosse Regional Airport to Wisconsin.
“The sensation and, of course, watching the clouds out there,” she said. “It’s very, very nice. I felt like a spoiled celebrity.”
Both grandmother and grandson said they will cherish the memory forever, with Shupe touting the experience one of the perks awarded to pilots.
“As an airline employee you do get some flight benefits,” he said of being able to get a first class ticket for his grandma. I was able to throw her name on a list and then put her on the standby list.”
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