Airline pilots have one of the most exciting jobs on the planet. Naturally, they get to aid numerous plane passengers with their travel plans. However, there are also times they go above and beyond their usual job duties. Recently, one Southwest pilot transported displaced animals after the disastrous Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Now, he has an adorable kitten to take home.

This pilot’s plane passengers consisted of animals

Pilots are used to flying plane passengers, some of whom can become unruly. However, according to People, one recently had the task of transporting displaced animals impacted by the recent hurricanes. This came after Greater Good Charities partnered with Southwest Airlines and Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. The pilot who flew the rescue mission is Caption Matthew Prebish. 

Specifically, around 145 animal plane passengers were on the October 12th flight from South Carolina to Wisconsin. Naturally, the hope is for people to adopt these displaced animals from various shelters across the Midwest. However, these furry friends had quite the journey before their flight, as they had come from shelters in Tenseese and Florida before being relocated to the Lucky Dog facility in South Carolina. 

After the flight, the adorable plane passengers were distributed between eight shelters across the Midwest. However, one of the most heartwarming parts of this story is that Caption Matt decided to adopt one of the kittens from the flight. According to reports, the adorable cat’s name is Avery. 

The CEO of Lucky Dog said, “It was love at 30,000 feet. I don’t think Captain Matt was expecting to adopt a hurricane evacuee from Tennessee when he agreed to fly this amazingly special flight, but some things are meant to be.”

The CEO continued, “Avery the kitten is definitely a Lucky Cat and was right at home with his new dad in the cockpit once we landed and parked. Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is extremely proud to have helped make this happy ending possible.”

The shelters that are currently housing the displaced animals include the following:

• Wisconsin’s Humane Animal Welfare Society
• Elmbrook Humane Society
• The Washington County Humane Society
• The Humane Society of Jefferson County
• The Dane County Humane Society
• Eau Claire Community Humane Association
• Green County Humane Society
• Illinois’ One Tail at a Time

People interested in adopting one of the unconventional airplane passengers can visit one of the above shelters. Notably, a licensed veterinarian examined the pets before the flight, and they have medical documentation.