Kenyan identical twins Alex and Alan are the first ever set of twin pilots at Alaska Airlines. The duo achievements warmed the hearts of many after news of their employment at the airline went public.
In a statement on Monday, July 25, 2022, Alaska Airlines announced that it had hired Alan shortly after he finished his simulator training. The company was thrilled to reveal that Alex’s twin had also joined the fold, and the two may be the first set of twin pilots in its history.
Alan will be based in San Francisco, while his brother Alex flies out of Los Angeles.
The two brothers developed a passion for aviation from a young age. Their aspirations in the field were further advanced by their parents who supported them in every way possible.
The twins immigrated to California, US at the age of 13 with their parents.
Since the age of three, they would go plane spotting with their father every Sunday after church. Their mom also brought them along on every business trip and they enjoyed the flights more than anything.
Alan recounts that their mother bought them Microsoft Flight Simulator to help support their passion for aviation.
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“After I started playing with the program, that was it. I knew I wanted to do that [fly] for a job,” he said.
Joining Alaska Airlines
Alan’s decision to join Alaska Airlines seemed pretty easy, maybe because his brother already works there. However, he also noted that the people and company culture contributed to his selection of Alaska.
“When I was working as a fueler, Alaska employees – whether it was pilots or people working across the operation – were always the nicest people who reached out to encourage me,” said Alan.
“Alaska is like a family – you’re not a number,” Alex added.
The two brothers have never been able to fly together, but since they now work for the same airline, this is their goal.
“We’ve never flown together professionally because we’ve always been on different aircraft.
“The goal is to have one of us upgrade to captain and be operating the same aircraft so we can fly together,” Alex said.
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Alaska Airlines notes that due to the complexity of their operation, it’s not common for pilots who are family members to be able to fly with each other, but this may change with Alex and Alan.
The company, however, notes that when the day comes, the twins’ mother needs to be in the cabin because of how much she supported their dreams.
“We have to get her on one of our flights,” said Alex.
Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves more than 100 cities through an expansive network in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica.
The airline ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America” in the J.D. Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study for eight consecutive years from 2008 to 2015.
Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan also ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards Programs” in the J.D. Power 2014 and 2015 Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report.
