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Retiring pilot hands out brutally honest note onboard last ever flight
A pilot has handed out a very honest letter onboard his last ever flight with American Airlines.
Captain Jeff Rowland flew for the airline for 33 years on over 10,00 flights, transporting two million passengers all over the world.
And on his last flight he gifted each and every passenger onboard with a note, detailing how appreciative he is of his career and the things he’s learned from his time as a pilot.
Captain on my LAX-DFW flight this morning was piloting the last leg of his 33-year career. His family was in first class, and inside of the plane was festooned with streamers & balloons.
In Dallas, we were greeted by a celebratory arch of water cannons on the tarmac. Touching. pic.twitter.com/qIsnzonO9B— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) January 28, 2018
LA Times sports journalist Sam Farmer happened to be on the flight and Tweeted out a photo of the letter.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. AA (American Airlines) only made only made one big mistake I can think of with me…they paid me, and I would have done this for nothing! (I think I’ll laugh all the way to the bank),” Captain Rowland wrote in the letter.
“I know we sometimes look at air travel as sort of a necessary evil ... to be endured.”
“There are things to complain about, for sure.”
“But AA has a wonderful history, formed and made successful by great American visionaries like C.R. Smith, Bob Crandall and now Doug Parker. Personally, I’ll forever appreciate the sheer force of will and vision these men brought to a very unforgiving industry.”
He then went on to gush over all the passengers he’s had on his flights over the years.
“While I owe my career to their efforts, most of all, I owe you, the AA passengers, for your travel with our company,” he wrote.
“Most of all I will miss serving you, my precious passengers.
“Transporting you to destination all over the world, while you graciously endured my lame PA’s, critiqued every single landing and thanked me for safely flying, provided purpose for this lifelong endeavor.”
Awesome moment boarding flight to Dallas this morning as they announce pilot is retiring after 33 years at @AmericanAir. Love celebrating consistency, quiet achievement & excellence. Here’s to Captain Jeff Rowland’s last flight but hopefully not mine! pic.twitter.com/ZsjScm9PJr
— Steve Shenbaum (@steveshenbaum) January 28, 2018
.@AmericanAir Capt Jeff Rowland let me try out the left seat on the @Boeing 787 #Dreamliner on our trip to Dallas today. pic.twitter.com/Jqaq98k4Ei
— Tommy Thayer (@tommy_thayer) December 7, 2016
According to Sam Farmer, Captain Rowland’s family were flying first class for his last ever flight and the inside of the plane was “festooned with streamers & balloons”.
“In Dallas, we were greeted by a celebratory arch of water cannons on the tarmac. Touching,” he wrote.
Captain Rowland appeared on Twitter founder and president of Game on Nation founder Steve Shenbaum's Twitter and Kiss Guitarist Tommy Thayer's, who both wished him well.
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