Mother's Day 2020: Flying Mother-Daughter Duos

It is common to come across family members working together in the industry and we have several mother/daughter duos here at PSA. We caught up with two mothers who are flight attendants along with their daughters: Vita Lear and her daughter Tristen Rabb and Shelley Hurley with her daughter Lauryn Ward.

Here’s what they said about the special working relationship they have.

What does it mean to work at the same company as your daughter?

Vita: We feel very blessed and grateful. It’s wonderful to share the same career passion. We both love to create memorable travel experiences for our passengers.

Shelley: We both enjoy the flexibility of our job. It has allowed us to see one another more and travel together.

Who started at PSA first?

Vita: Tristen started in August 2014. Six months later, I did. At Tristen’s graduation, her instructors encouraged me to apply after learning I had been a flight attendant with mainline US Airways from 1996 until I took furlough following 9/11.

Shelley: I started here first in May 2014 and Lauryn started in August 2014. I've always said Lauryn was born to travel. My sister has been a FA with US Airways and now American Airlines for 33 years and would take Lauryn on trips as a little girl. She would come alive being at the airport.

What are some of the highlights of working together?

Vita: There are several highlights. When we’re not flying together, we love to talk after every trip. When we’ve buddy bid and work the same line, we’ve taken the opportunities to sightsee and experience new places with our great crews. We’ve also been able to travel together for vacations. So far, we’ve been to Hawaii, Greece and Italy. We have a bucket list of places we want to go, so we plan a mother/daughter vacation once a year. The passengers love it when we tell them we’re a mother-daughter flying team. Another highlight is the wonderful friendships we’ve made with fellow PSA team members. They’ve become a special part of our family. We’re thankful to be a part of PSA and excited about the positive changes we’ve seen and being a part of making American Airlines the best airline in the world. Neither of us can imagine doing any other job.

Shelley: One of the proudest moments was being able to attend her Flight Attendant graduation. Knowing how hard she worked during training and being able to attend in my uniform meant so much to me. On one trip we worked together, Lauryn and I didn’t tell the crew we were related. The first night of the trip, we were at the hotel waiting to check in and Lauryn opened my lunch box to see what I had packed. The Captain looked at us for a moment and then said, "wait a minute is this your daughter?"