Flight Attendant Brandy Likes leads with her heart & shows people the way with kindness

Photos by Susan Ewbank

Poet Maya Angelou wrote, “People will forget what you said or what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” For Horizon Flight Attendant Brandy Likes, that saying about sums it up.

I do my best to always live my life making those that I cross paths with feel happy,” she says.

Likes came to Horizon 10 years ago to take her dream job as a flight attendant. After working for Nordstrom for 14 years, she was ready to spread her wings. But while Likes is known for delivering outstanding customer service in the air, she’s also been a pathfinder for Horizon on the ground.

Brandy Likes

Likes is a founding member of QX Factor, a program launched in 2016 by frontline employees to bring new energy to the employee experience at Horizon. Deeply committed to the effort, she helped design the program, worked on course content and even helped facilitate sessions.

It was, as she says, an amazing experience.

“What I came away with was a better appreciation for my coworkers – not just crew members, but coworkers from across all aspects of the company,” Likes says.

Likes is also an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) representative for inflight employees and is heavily involved in the Local Forum and Station Advocate programs. She’s also a facilitator for First Class, the company’s new employee orientation.

Teaching this class makes my heart smile,” she says. “Being part of an employee’s first experience with the company is something special, and their enthusiasm is always reinvigorating. And then, seeing them later at the airport or on the plane, it’s so fulfilling.”

A self-described ‘people person,’ Likes admits that she must regularly budget extra time getting to her flights as she’s often chatting with others.

“From seeing the crews in the crew room, catching up with ground crew and CSAs and, of course, greeting guests, it’s always an adventure, and every day will be different” Likes says.

That’s what she loves about her job. In fact, she says she couldn’t see herself doing anything else.

Likes and her husband have two children and a dog. They are an adventuring family. In-between school and sports, they are always traveling somewhere—most recently moving across the country.

Brandy has added so much value to the culture of our company that it is hard to measure,” said Matt Prainito, VP of station and inflight operations. “She has truly been integral leading continuous improvement efforts at Horizon Air, all in the name of making things better for her coworkers.”