When Flight Attendant Cassie (Henry) Kurella sat down for her Republic Airways Cadet interview, one question made her laugh: Why do you want to work at Republic?
“I said, ‘I already do,'” she recalls.
When Cassie decided to become a Republic Airways Pilot, she had already been working as a Republic Airways Flight Attendant for years. Today, Cassie is a Chicago-based First Officer. Her path from the cabin to the flight deck shows what’s possible when a company and its people stand behind you.
Cassie didn’t grow up planning to fly. She majored in marketing and psychology, went into corporate banking and soon realized she hated sitting in a cubicle all day. She spent all her vacation time traveling to places like Germany and Iceland.
An acquaintance of hers had become a Flight Attendant at Republic Airways. It was that connection, Cassie says, that made her start thinking she could turn her love of travel into a full-time career. She applied, got a class date and made it through training.
On the line in Pittsburgh, she found her people. “I loved everyone I worked with,” she says. She even met her maid of honor at Republic Airways. In fact, everyone in her wedding party came from aviation. “A lot of the people in my life are because of Republic Airways.”
About a year into her career, Cassie was on a layover in Fargo when she fell off a rented bike. While checking her injuries, she found a lump. At 29, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer.
She was on leave for nine months for chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. The whole time she missed being in the air. Her base supervisor made sure the only thing Cassie had to worry about was her health. She connected Cassie with resources and helped with FMLA. At Christmas, she organized coworkers to decorate ornaments and mail them to Cassie. She also worked with a cancer support organization to deliver socks, blankets and care items to Cassie. When Cassie came back to work in 2019, still wearing a wig, her supervisor made sure uniform hair standards weren’t an issue.
“I can’t thank her enough for going all out,” Cassie says. Seven years later, she is still cancer-free.
Back in the air, Cassie wanted to do more. Her maid of honor had started flight training, and Cassie brought up the idea with the same supervisor who had helped her through treatment. In the summer of 2020, she took a discovery flight at Beaver County Airport, near Pittsburgh. “I thought, ‘I can do this,'” she says. That same airport is where she met her husband, who is also a Pilot.
It wasn’t a smooth start. She couldn’t move away from her oncologists, so she enrolled in a Part 141 program at a local airport. The FAA initially denied her first medical certificate because of her cancer medication. But her seniority as a Flight Attendant let her build a schedule around treatment and work: classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and trips on the other days. When she needed flexibility, coworkers picked up her shifts.
Cassie earned her private certificate in eight months, her instrument rating five months later and her commercial certificate about a year and a half after that. Then she became a CFI, started instructing in 2024 and added her CFII and multi-engine ratings. After finishing her instrument rating she joined Republic’s Cadet Program, which gave her a guaranteed path to First Officer.
Throughout her training, Cassie leaned on a wide network. It included people in the training department, former recruiters and interviewers, Pilot friends and a recruiter who helped guide her transition. In a full-circle moment, the mentor Republic assigned to her turned out to be the Pilot who gave her that first discovery flight.
“The training is hard, but hard for a reason,” she says. “But through it all, I never felt alone.”
She flew her IOE out of Pittsburgh with crews she had known for years. Her last five days brought bad weather and maintenance issues, with something new every single day. “I’m glad that happened,” she says. “I learned a lot, and I was with people I know.”
In Chicago, she works with new crews, but it feels just as comfortable. “We all did the same training. We have the same background. You know you can trust the people beside you.”
Many Flight Attendants reach out to Cassie about becoming Pilots, and she’s honest with them. “It’s not for everyone. It’s not easy. It’s not always quick.” She stresses relationships. “Building relationships with Republic Airways Associates got me here.”
For Cassie, it all comes back to quality of life. She lives near the airport and sleeps in her own bed. “All of that is possible at Republic Airways.” She also still loves the flying itself. “At the end of the day, you’re flying a plane.”
Her last piece of advice: “Attitude is everything.”
Ready to start your own journey? Explore careers and the Cadet Program at Republic Airways.