Meet Southwest's 6-Year-Old (Future) Captain
Some kids dream of becoming astronauts with NASA. Some dream of a lifetime of saving lives as a firefighter. And some, like 6-year-old Blair, dream of becoming a pilot. But not just any pilot: a pilot with Southwest Airlines, and she's so serious about making her dream a reality that the carrier actually already helped her to achieve it.
According to her father Jared Smith, the 6-year-old from Dacula, Georgia, has wanted to be a pilot for about half of her life now. After a divorce from Blair's mother, Jared moved from the Atlanta area to Washington, D.C., making sure that he could fly between the two cities at a moment's notice to see his daughters. During his time traveling between ATL and D.C., he became increasingly savvy about frequent flyer traveling — accumulating points and signing up for co-branded credit cards.
Two times a year, Jared flies Blair and her sister from ATL to DCA for a week-long visit. He'll travel down to ATL, pick up the girls, fly back to DCA with them and then do the same when dropping them off at the end of the week. And, to do so, Jared chooses to fly with Southwest Airlines because the carrier's open seating policy makes it easier for the three of them to sit together. Jared said that the two girls loved their trips and started to recognize flight crew — both pilots and flight attendants — as they made their way through the two airports.
After just her second trip, Blair decided that she wanted to be a pilot — her reasoning was so that she could then fly to see her Dad whenever she wanted. The desire to become a pilot was so strong that she got a pilot uniform for her birthday and started wearing it every time she flew. Every time the trio would travel between ATL and DCA with Blair in her outfit, Southwest flight crew would go out of their way to make the experience a memorable one for Blair — complete with photos in the cockpit.
After each trip, Jared would post the picture of Blair in the cockpit on social media and got great responses — even from the carrier itself. As Blair continued flying, her interest continued to grow. It grew so much to the point that Jared and she would have in-depth conversations about the process of becoming a pilot — Jared thanks Google for his newfound knowledge on the profession. According to Jared, at one point, she became concerned that she "might not make it as a pilot," as she noticed how few female pilots she saw during her travels. So, Blair and her farther started keeping an eye out for female pilots during all of their travels.
Last July, as Jared and his two girls were at DCA, they noticed a flight crew switching out, with the incoming first officer being a woman. Of course, Blair stopped to take a picture with the first officer and then Jared tweeted it out to Southwest. This time, Southwest not only retweeted Jared but also sent him a DM, asking more information. The social media team sent her a goody bag of Southwest-branded merchandise, which she loved.
About six weeks later, someone from the Social Care team at Southwest reached out to Jared — this time, with news that the Flight Operations team wanted to invite Captain Blair to the company's Dallas headquarters. After some planning, Southwest arranged to fly Jared and Blair from ATL to Dallas Love Field (DAL) for a tour of the headquarters and some time in a Boeing 737 simulator.
"I kept joking with Blair that I was having more fun than she was and she quickly shot me down saying that we were having the same amount of fun!" Jared said.
Jared described their time in DAL as amazing, with every employee they passed encouraging Blair to continue pushing toward her goal of becoming a pilot.
Where Blair's story gets even more heartwarming has to do with a set of wings — yes, the same plastic ones that airlines hand around to children, whether or not they want to be a pilot. Jared said that as Blair walked around terminals during their travels, American and Delta employees had spotted her and given her each a set of of wings. So, when she went to Southwest's headquarters, she had both sets of wings on her uniform. But, when the two were having lunch with a Southwest pilot, he saw the lack of a set of SWA wings on her uniform. So he gave her a set of real Southwest Check Airman wings, which "caused some jealousy" on their return flight home.
"Needless to say, the American and Delta wings are tucked away and not on her uniform now," Jared said. "I got the impression that something like this hasn't happened very often for kids of non-employees. A common assumption was that I was a pilot and/or worked for Southwest. When I told people I was neither, they were very impressed that the company did something that cool for Blair."
Southwest gave Captain Blair something to remember for the rest of her life — and up until someday when she's old enough to become a real captain. Maybe at some point, Blair will be one of the crew flying on Southwest's all-female-operated Boeing 737s.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees