Going for gold. Go Colby!
Last year, we introduced you to SFO Flight Attendant Carol Stevenson and retired DEN Airbus 320 Captain Bobby Stevenson's son Colby – a professional skier who miraculously recovered from a serious car accident and went on to win two golds at the X Games Aspen 2020.
We ended Colby’s story by sharing his next quest was to earn a spot on the 2022 Winter Olympic team…and he has! Colby is one of 223 athletes representing Team USA this year in Beijing. He is part of the second-biggest contingent the U.S. has ever sent to the Olympics.
‘Son of Afghanistan, United Airlines Pilot’
“Son of Afghanistan, United Airlines Pilot” were the words SFO Boeing 777 First Officer Zak Khogyani titled in an email to Scott and Flight Operations SVP Bryan Quigley the day the Department of Defense activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet.
Like the rest of world, Zak was closely following the devastating developments in Afghanistan. What he was seeing and reading felt all too familiar.
‘We were once them’
On May 14, our new nonstop service from IAD-ACC (Accra, Ghana) took off. Among those on that flight were SFO A320 First Officer Jean Olivier Cedric Mbog and SFO Boeing 737 First Officer Anthony C. McGee. For them, having direct access to Western Africa from the D.C. region holds an extra special meaning.
Steps toward the sky
Carole Cary-Hopson, Newark Liberty International Airport Boeing 737 First Officer, remembers how it felt piloting her first United flight.
"Shivers" she recalled. "I felt as if this is what dreams are made of. Every single time I come to work, I feel that way."
"That way" was 14 years in the making for Carole. "What dreams are made of" dates back to her childhood in Pennsylvania and frequently visiting her grandma's home in south Jersey that was right by the Philadelphia airport.
For Captain Whitson, 'every day is a gift'
Mornings aren't everyone's cup of tea, especially mornings that involve starting work at 3 a.m. But mornings don't bother Houston-based Boeing 737 Captain David Whitson anymore. "I don't care if I have to wake up early to fly a red-eye," said David. "It's the little things I appreciate more now. Little things don't bother me." For David, the little things are a gift. A gift called life. It's a gift David is thankful to still have.
Frankfurt’s first Fantasy Flight
Michaela Selinger-Roudabush, United's Frankfurt am Main Airport general manager, remembers the moment she learned that Frankfurt was going to host its first Fantasy Flight.
"It all started when London had their Fantasy Flight last year," recalled Michaela. "I went to it and loved it. So then I applied to have it in Frankfurt because there had never been a Fantasy Flight in Germany before."
Fun, festive and fierce
“It was fun. It was festive. It was fierce… It was our first-ever MileagePlus® Exclusives Drag Queen Brunch in Chicago. As the sold-out crowd of over 200 entered The River Kitchen and Bar in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood on Sunday, cloud balloons hung from the ceiling, feather boas covered chairs, Lizzo and other pop music blasted from the speakers, rainbow lights shined bright and Drag Queens were on-hand to welcome everyone to what would be an epic event celebrating Pride Month and being proud of our commitment to becoming the most inclusive airline in the world.”
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