In honour of International Women’s Day, Sunwing celebrated the departure of three Sunwing Airlines flights that took off for sunny destinations from Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg, each with an all-female flight deck and cabin crew.

“Operated and organized by a primarily female-led team across multiple functions, including airport staff, dispatch, scheduling and more, today's events were driven by the epic women of Sunwing who were also on site to capture every memorable moment,” Sunwing said.

Leading the charge above the clouds were Captain Michelle Chiasson and First Officer Jessalyn Teed who flew from Toronto to Holguin, Captain Kelly Koprajda and First Officer Cara Kirkwood who flew from Montreal to Holguin, and Captain Jessica Kessler and First Officer Siobhan O’Hanlon who flew from Winnipeg to Cancun.

An advocate for women’s empowerment and a driving force in the airline’s recruitment strategy, First Officer Jessalyn Teed, who was a leading voice and participant in today’s events alongside First Officer Siobhan O’Hanlon, commented on the occasion:

“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many amazing women to bring this day together, and the support we’ve received has been nothing short of inspiring. I believe this day and today’s events are about celebrating representation, the representation of women in roles that we traditionally know to be male-dominated, and it could not be done without the continued support of our leadership and colleagues embracing equity alongside us."

Teed added: "May this day be one where we celebrate the women who lead us, walk beside us, cheer us on in our success and sit with us through our challenges.”

Sunwing president Len Corrado added: “I am so proud to lead a team of passionate and customer-centric people devoted to making vacation dreams come true, and I’m thrilled to celebrate our incredible teams who have made today’s female-led flights to the tropics a moment to remember.

“Sunwing women challenge the status quo, break down barriers and are taking the travel industry by storm in all facets, and as we continue to grow to support the increasing demand for travel, ensuring we’re building a team that champions gender equality and embraces equity at every step is very important.”

Sunwing Travel Group says it continues to honour International Women’s Day by engaging in honest and thought-provoking conversations with employees through its Brave Space Conversation series, and highlighting inspiring women from across its businesses who are a voice for change.