The Andersons are an airline family with three generations of Air Canada pilots, but a flight over the weekend was unlike any other for Captain Craig Anderson.
“It’s a little bittersweet,” Anderson told CTV News ahead of his retirement flight on Sept. 25. “It’s exciting to start a new chapter in life, but when you’ve done something for so long, I know I’m going to miss it.”
Making this retirement flight from Rome to Toronto even more memorable is the fact that Anderson was able to share it with his three sons and wife Brenda.
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His sons Matthew and Taylor are also pilots with Air Canada and served as his co-pilots.
His son Curtis, who is currently a pilot with Porter Airlines, was a passenger and documented the entire journey from Toronto to Rome and back.
“I know how proud he is of us and how awesome it is to be on his last flights. Just a dream come true, I am sure, for him and for us,” Curtis said.
Anderson’s wife Brenda, a flight attendant with Air Canada, also worked on his retirement flight.
“I met my husband, Craig, on my first flight with Air Canada, so I’m excited to be doing his last flight,” Brenda said.
It is the first time the entire family has worked together as a crew with both Matthew and Taylor bidding well in advance to be his co-pilots.
“There’s so many different planes that Air Canada has, and so the odds of you being on this specific plane type, having your seniority to be able to hold the flight, and everything, it’s a rare occasion,” Taylor said.
Three generations of pilots
Anderson says his father Gary was an Air Canada pilot for 40 years and was a huge inspiration in his own career.
He shared a picture sitting on his father’s lap as a young child at the controls.
Asked about how his father inspired him, Anderson recalled sitting at the table when he was young listening to his father and friends share stories about their journeys.
“They talked about all the places that they went, and all the people that they met. And so, I thought, well, that would be a great profession,” he said.
His father retired from Air Canada in 1991, and he was able to join him in the cockpit as his second officer on his retirement flight from London, England to Toronto.
“For me to fly with my father and now my boys to fly with me on my last flight, it’s a tremendous honour,” he said.
And on his retirement flight, Anderson kept a picture of his late dad near the controls.
Special announcement during flight
The final flight from Rome to Toronto had several special moments that included Craig’s brother surprising him when he boarded the flight in Malta and a special announcement from one of his sons.
“I mentioned the 40-year career, how it matched his father’s 40 years. I talked about how he was the second officer on our grandfather’s flight, and we were honoured to be the first officers,” Taylor said. “I kind of teared up and mentioned that literally as the sun was setting, I thought, ‘I think I said something like, endings can be a beautiful thing, and this is really one of those moments that proves that that’s true.”
That tribute was followed by applause and appreciation from their passengers as Craig walked through the cabin.
“I can’t believe it, it was so special,” Anderson said. “My boys blew it out of the park with their own announcement, and I didn’t have much to say after that. It was incredible.”
For Anderson’s sons Matthew, Taylor, and Curtis, it was only natural to follow in their grandfather’s and father’s footsteps.
Since the boys were young, they were fascinated with their father’s career.
“The respect that comes with the job, and then also just the way he’s so excited to go to work and comes back with stories—how could you not want to do it right?” said Matthew, who was trained on a 777 aircraft by his dad. “I fell in love with it right away.”
Taylor shared a memory of helping their father for hours with his preflight paperwork.
“We used to call it doing Dad’s homework—we’d put his little charts together and everything for all the destinations. So, I knew how to fly into Dallas when I was five years old,” he said through laughter.
Family and long-time friends eagerly waited at the arrivals area with signs that read ‘Happy retirement Captain Craig.’
“It’s aviation history,” said longtime friend Kevin Ackroyd, who made a special retirement sign that included a picture of the whole family together in the cockpit. “The storyline with the Andersons, Craig’s dad, and now Craig and his three boys are all pilots.”
Among those celebrating Craig’s retirement was his 90-year-old mother, Carole, who was once a flight attendant with Trans-Canada Air Lines, which predated Air Canada. While working there, she met Craig’s father, Gary, who was a pilot for the airline.
“I’m very, very proud of him, and he has enjoyed his career with Air Canada so much,” Carole said. “Such a wonderful feeling for me as a mother. I’m just so glad I’m here to be able to enjoy it with them.”
Anderson has recorded more than 30,000 flying hours throughout his remarkable career that started back in 1987.
“It was just so special on this last trip,” Anderson said. “I’m going to miss the people that I fly with. I am going to miss the layovers. I’m going to miss all the friends and people you know.”
As for retirement, Anderson says he is looking forward to playing golf, boating, and simply relaxing, while his sons continue the family’s legacy.
“I’m on cloud nine,” he said.
