Pilot surprises his grandmother during flight to Chicago

(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - A grandmother got a heartwarming surprise when her grandson showed up to pilot her flight from Memphis to Chicago recently, delivering a touching tribute before takeoff.

Justin Shurtz was not originally scheduled to fly the plane, but swapped flights with the original pilot when he learned of his grandmother’s trip to Las Vegas via Chicago.

"She knew I was working. She was expecting me to pick her up in Las Vegas. She had no idea that I was going to show up on her flight," Shurtz told ABC4.

Video by Gina Abinet shows the moment Shurtz revealed the surprise by making a special announcement thanking his grandmother for her role in raising and supporting him.

"This is a very special flight for me," Shurtz can be heard saying in the video.

"So, my grandparents raised me…they've done everything they could to help me to get to where I am today," he says.

"This amazing crew that I'm flying with here today was able to help me pull it off to where my grandmother got the opportunity to fly with me to Chicago today," he says.