Southwest Airlines captain makes heartwarming final flight to Oakland with his daughter as co-pilot

OAKLAND, Calif. - It was a deeply meaningful flight on so many levels. On Sunday, Southwest Airlines shared video of a moving announcement from the flight’s second-in-command, who would be joining the captain in the cockpit to bring passengers from Las Vegas to Oakland. 

First Officer Julia Curtis introduced her co-pilot over the intercom, telling passengers, "He's celebrating his 65th birthday. So in airline industry, the 65th birthday marks mandatory retirement for pilots."

Their flight, she said, would be the captain's final one before hanging up his wings.

Heartwarming moment 

Local perspective:

Curtis, a UC Berkeley graduate who was also a member of the Cal Women's Soccer team, described the captain as an important mentor.

"In fact, he inspired me to be a pilot," she said. 

As the captain looked on behind her, he fought to maintain his composure. His chin quivered with emotion, as his first officer shared about all the ways the man had been a role model and a teacher.   

"Probably most importantly, he taught me how to carry myself with humility, kindness, and integrity both in and out of work," First Officer Curtis said as she pointed to the man behind her and said, "because Captain Curtis is also my dad." 

The cabin broke out in applause and cheers.

With her mom also on the plane and looking on, Julia Curtis told the crew and passengers of Flight 2958 that the memorable final retirement flight for her dad would be a moment to honor him and all that he had accomplished.  

"My entire life, he has been the first one to tell me how proud he is of me and my siblings. And today we get to express how proud we are of him," the first officer said over the intercom, as her voice choked up a bit. "Dad, congratulations, it's an incredible career."

Fini flight after 43-year career 

By the numbers:

That fini flight would come after 22 years with the airline. Over the course of his career, he logged more than 18,000 hours of flight time, as he retired as Southwest's assistant chief pilot in Oakland, the daughter shared. 

He served in the Air Force for 21 years, working out of Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. 

"Getting to fly with him is a dream come true and something we're going to remember for the rest of our lives. It's really an honor," First Officer Curtis said. 

When Captain Jim Curtis addressed the passengers and crew, he explained that his daughter has been with the airline for about four months now. 

And he brought some levity to the emotional moment.

"She has a full-time job, and she is still on my phone plan," he announced, drawing laughter from the cabin. "Who thinks she should be off of my phone plans? Please help me." 

Following in dad's footsteps

As the airline released video of the now viral moment, the carrier said, "Inspired by her dad’s career, Julia followed in his footsteps to earn her own wings, making this final flight together a moment this family will never forget."

In a statement to KTVU, the company said it was excited to share this heartwarming and touching event on Father's Day. 

"We wish Captain Jim all of the success in his retirement and thank him for inspiring a love of aviation for his daughter," a Southwest spokesperson told KTVU in an email. 

On social media, the airline used the moment to honor dads who make a difference in their children's lives. 

"To all the fathers and father figures out there who inspire big dreams and even bigger achievements, we wish you a very happy Father’s Day," the air carrier said.

Dream began when she was young

The backstory:

First Officer Curtis recalled her first memories of wanting to be a pilot as a little girl, going to work with her dad at Travis AFB.

"I thought it was the coolest experience in the world, and that planted the seed. And ever since then, I wanted to fly," she said as part of the video released by Southwest. 

The family shared a sweet-faced little girl, being carried in a duffel bag held by her beaming father dressed in his air force flight suit. 

She would follow that dream by joining Southwest Airlines’ career pathway program known as Destination 225°, which trains and mentors future pilots.

Dig deeper:

But before launching into that career path, Curtis was a collegiate soccer player. She landed at UC Berkeley, after transferring from Santa Clara University, where she spent her first two years.  

She played with the Cal Women's Soccer team for two seasons, 2019 and 2020-21, according to California Golden Bears Athletics Communications Assistant Director Daniel Moebus-Bowles.

The video of Curtis with her father has been widely shared, and Cal Athletics praised its former player, describing her as "a tremendous person with incredible character."

The sports program expressed its joy over Curtis' viral spotlight.

What they're saying:

"Seeing this moment with her father definitely warmed the hearts of our coaching staff. We are so proud of her!" Moebus-Bowles shared.

200,000th employee

When Julia Curtis joined the airline, she became Southwest's 200,000th employee.

She said considering how long her dad has dedicated to the company, the milestone of being the 200,000th employee feels even more significant.

Big picture view:

For dad, his daughter carrying on the tradition, gives him perspective on the past and the future and the meaning of legacy.

"It's about the people who came before us who are teaching the people who are coming up now," the proud dad said in the Southwest video. "If she's here as a 200,000 employee number, they'll remember her from that. So, it carries on a legacy for me, too."

While Jim Curtis has been based in Oakland, his daughter works out of Baltimore, according to Southwest. 

As Julia Curtis now embarks on her own journey as a pilot, she looked back with gratitude to the inspiring man who was kind to those he worked with and made travel fun for his passengers. And as he did with everything in life, he was thoroughly dedicated and worked hard.

"Everything he does, he gives his best effort. Whether that be his job, a coach, a father, a husband, he's always 100% there with us," the daughter said. "And I think seeing him do that with always the positive attitude that he comes with has always inspired me."

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Celebrating Capt. Curtis

The video showed the father-daughter duo landing in Oakland to a celebratory atmosphere. People greeted Jim Curtis with cheers, bubbles, shaking pom poms, and clicking away on their phones for photos to capture the moment. 

And the captain and dad took it all in, as he stood ready to pass on the baton. 

"How do you not get choked up? It's been a long career," the celebrated pilot said. "It's been a good one. I know what this job has done for me, and I think it'll be the same for her."