Summary
- United Airlines celebrated Girls in Aviation Day by hosting girls at various airports.
- The airline featured women in different roles, including a young female pilot.
- Women working at the airline hope the event will inspire girls to pursue aviation careers and close the gap in the industry.
Chicago-based United Airlines commemorated the 9th Annual Girls in Aviation Day (GIAD) last week. The carrier took part by hosting dozens of girls to teach them about careers in the industry.
This year, thousands of girls experienced GIAD at more than 150 events at airports, museums, and hangars across the US, Canada, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Several women working at United were able to showcase how many career paths girls could pursue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DisbakKXyPY&t=5s
Seeing women as an example
At Denver International Airport (DEN), United, which is the city’s largest private employer, brought girls aboard different aircraft to give them a hands-on experience, from sitting in the cockpit, announcing seatbelt instructions over the PA system, and reportedly trying out the duties of a ramp worker.
According to CBS News Colorado, one of the women the girls were introduced to was Adriana Bendeck Rodriguez, who made history at the airline. Bendeck Rodriguez, who is 28 years old, is United’s youngest female pilot and was able to explain to the girls how she got where she is now. Rodriguez said,
“They get to talk to us about how we got here in the first place. I hope they see me as an example, I hope they see my story and know they can get here.”
Photo: Austin Deppe/Shuttertsock
The pilot said she first found her love for aviation through her stepfather, like many others who discovered their passion for flying at a young age and let it take them from there. When Bendeck Rodriguez was 15, her stepfather bought her flight lessons.
“It was a Christmas present,” she said, according to CBS News Colorado. “We took off and I decided this is what I want to do.
First-ever female VP
Jonna McGrath, Vice President of United’s Airport Operations at DEN, is another woman who can inspire girls with her story. The executive was recently hired at the airline over the summer, making her the first woman to ever serve as VP of United’s Denver hub. McGrath reportedly started her career as a ramp worker, loading bags onto aircraft.
“We are empowering them to follow their dreams. And, hopefully they follow their dreams into aviation,” she explained to CBS News Colorado. “I never dreamed about being in aviation (as a child). I was asked by someone that was in aviation at a very young age, and it got in my blood.”
“We need way more women”
United also hosted girls at San Fransico International Airport (SFO), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). 16-year-old aspiring pilot Aaliyha Hunter attended the event at IAH. While some of United’s flight attendants spoke to the attendees about their jobs traveling the world and managing hundreds of people in-flight, Hunter’s primary goal is to fly privately but also believes that more women are needed in the industry, speaking to CW 39 Houston.
“Going forward career-wise, I see myself flying private jets for people who’d like to do that. I would love flying private jets. And then I’d probably do helicopters too if I have the opportunity and sea planes. There’s actually like two (female) pilots in my school It’s me and this other girl. And I’m trying to get more, because we need more women. We need way more women.”
Photo: Women in Aviation International
GIAD was launched by Women in Aviation International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to adding more women to areas of aviation and aerospace.
Sources: CBS News Colorado, CW 39 Houston