My mom, dad AND brother work for United Airlines – and I’ve always had free flights
Talk about keeping it in the family.
Through a series of TikToksUtah-based Skylar Horanyi, 26, reveals how her father and brother are both pilots for United Airlines, while her mother also works as a flight attendant for the airline.
While Skylar herself didn’t get into the airline industry, the brunette says she shares her family’s passion for travel and some of the benefits she gets through their work include free travel, free upgrades to first class and access to airport lounges.
While it may sound appealing to most, Skylar points out that when she’s flying, she’s always on standby, and the whole production can be quite stressful.
Skylar Horanyi’s father and brother are both pilots for United Airlines. The 26-year-old’s mother also works as a flight attendant for the airline
Although she didn’t get into the airline industry herself, the brunette says she shares her family’s passion for travel
In a video, with her boyfriend in tow, she explains: “Since we don’t pay for flights, we don’t have confirmed seats and we only board the flight if free seats are available.”
The couple wanted to travel from Salt Lake City to Denver, and Skylar says, “We looked at the seat map and saw that there were a few seats available, so we decided to take a chance and try the flight.
“We came to the airport with absolutely no idea if we were going to make the flight or not, but we were extremely lucky and we made it on this first flight.
“We got seats near the exit and we even got to sit next to each other.”
Skylar was on another standby flight for the next leg of her trip from Denver to Houston and she doubted she would make it because it was busier.
But “fortunately a few seats opened up and I got a seat on the Houston flight.”
In another TikTok, Skylar describes her parents’ heartwarming love story.
Although they both work for the same airline, Skylar says her mom and dad didn’t meet on a plane, and they were actually high school sweethearts and met when they were 18 years old.
After graduation, around the age of 23, they moved to New Jersey and got jobs together at the now-defunct People Express Airlines.
Skylar’s father currently works as a pilot out of San Francisco, so he has to commute there from Houston
Some of the benefits Skylar receives through her family’s work include free travel, free upgrades to first class, and access to airport lounges
Although they both work for the same airline, Skylar says her mom and dad didn’t meet on a plane, and they were actually high school sweethearts.
After the airline merged with Continental Airlines, the Horanyis moved to Houston, Texas, where they remain to this day, and Continental finally merged with United Airlines in 2012.
Skylar’s mother and father have been working in aviation for just over 40 years now and have been together for 46 years.
The avid traveler’s father — who is of Filipino and Hungarian descent — currently works as a pilot out of San Francisco, so he has to commute there from Houston.
The two transport hubs are approximately four hours flying time apart.
Skylar’s brother decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and at the age of 25 he was one of the youngest pilots United had at the time.
Skylar says that as a family member of a United employee you can fly for free until the age of 26.
However, her mother continued to refer to her as her “companion” so she could continue to get free flights.
Skylar says that as a family member of a United employee, you get free flights up to the age of 26
Skylar’s brother decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and at the age of 25 he was one of the youngest pilots United had at the time
For her 25th birthday, Skylar reveals in a TikTok how she took a whirlwind trip to London with her parents.
Her mother was off duty, while her father was flying the plane.
She had to go to the United Club lounge at San Francisco International Airport, and because the flight was fairly uneventful, she was upgraded to United Polaris (the airline’s equivalent of first class).
When the plane landed in the UK, Skylar’s dad made a special public announcement to celebrate her birthday, which she said was “cute.”
Skylar’s story about her family of aircrew has intrigued many of her TikTok fans.
Many commenters have asked if her name was intentional given the aviation theme, but she revealed, “It’s actually a family name, but very appropriate.
“I’m sure working for the airlines has influenced my name!”