United Airlines pilots Jamil and Jalal Paul flew together for the first time in their careers on a trip to New Jersey, followed by a touching reunion with their father, Gerald Paul.
Jalal told United Airlines in a statement, “As twins, my brother and I have done so much together except fly as co-pilots for United. You couldn’t script a day like this any better!”
Given their rigorous schedules as Houston-based pilots, the Paul brothers scarcely have time to visit their hometown of Hackensack, New Jersey, where their father and the rest of the family still live.
So, making the most of Father’s Day, the two asked their father to have breakfast with them at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday, where a day full of surprises awaited.
The twin brothers made their father, Gerald, who had never flown on a commercial aircraft piloted by his sons, have an amazing Father’s Day by surreptitiously purchasing a round-trip ticket for him to accompany them on their journey from Newark to Miami.
Jamil remarked, “We knew we wanted to visit our dad during this weekend. We never would’ve thought we would be able to fly him. Today was such a special day for all of us.”’
When their dad discovered why they were boarding a flight, the Paul twins said he was “astounded and confused.” But as soon as he boarded and turned to face his sons on the flight deck, he was overcome with joy and enthusiasm for what was called a “blessing beyond imagination.”
The course of the Miami journey was particularly sentimental for the twins, who had taken their first flight on this same route with their father when they were four years old.
The boys’ father had only recently lost his own father earlier this year, making his journey with his sons all the more compelling.
He said, “I’m so proud of my sons. They wanted to fly planes since they were little boys. I’m grateful they are living their dreams.”
