A young pilot claimed that despite wearing a uniform, gate personnel at airports frequently mistook her for a flight attendant.
On TikTok, Sabrina Johnson expressed her annoyance and claimed she finds it “jarring” when airport staff fail to recognise pilot uniforms.
In the video, the 22-year-old sat down in the plane wearing a complete shirt and tie and displaying her three-striped epaulette on her shoulders. She said that it is a “regular occurrence.”
“Gate agent looked me in the eye today asked if I was the flight attendant,” Sabrina said.
“I had someone hand me their bag once.”
Viewers were convinced that the staff did it to her on purpose, as one said: “As a flight attendant, I’m offended for you. Unacceptable. They know our uniforms.”
A second said: “I think everyone knows what a pilot uniform looks like how do they not know?”
Sabrina replied in the comments: “It’s either they don’t understand the epaulettes or they can’t believe it.
“It’s most girl pilots I know. But I have a platform to share the experience, so I do.”
Other women who work in male-dominant fields said they also got mistaken as “assistants” or “designers”, rather than “engineers” and “surgeons”.
Sabrina explained in another video that people sometimes felt uncomfortable when she said she’s a helicopter and airline pilot at just 22.
She said: “I have eight years of flying experience.
“I had very supportive parents, I started flying at 14 and I did what’s called my very first solo where I’m completely alone in the airplane on my 16th birthday.
@sabrinaleej Its jarring to me because they work at an airport. You know what the pilot uniforms are ? #pilotsoftiktok #airlines #fyp #bruh ♬ Miss You (Sped Up Version) – _
At the age of 17, I earned my private pilot’s licence, which allowed me to fly solo and transport passengers.
I studied every winter, summer, and fall while having little to no social life, and I graduated college at the age of 20 as a flight instructor with a degree with a minor and my helicopter private pilot certificate, instrument rating, and commercial licence.
“When you look at me and you see a 22-year-old flying your airline around your country or flying a helicopter, just know that I have eight years of experience under my belt.
“By the time I’m 34, I will have had 20 years old experience with aviation. I just started early and you can too.”
