A popular and well-loved United Airlines flight attendant who appeared in a corporate video in 2020 to describe her journey as a transgender woman has tragically died by suicide.
Colleagues of Kayleigh Scott were shocked to learn that she had died shortly after she posted an Instagram message that suggested she was planning to take her own life.
Worried followers contacted law enforcement to carry out a welfare check at Kayleigh’s home address, but sadly it was already too late, and police officers found her deceased.
In 2020, the Denver-based flight attendant appeared in a video for Trans Day of Visibility which was made by United. In the video, Kayleigh described how she had struggled with her transgender status and how it had taken time to embrace who she was.
“I used to be so embarrassed about being trans, and all I wanted was to blend in and be cis, but times have changed, and I’ve started looking back on the bigger picture and understanding I do have a story to tell,” Kayleigh said in the video.
“My life changed for the better when I came to United as a flight attendant. With the support from the company, our business resource group for LGBTQ+ employees, and all of my loving coworkers… I’m living confidently as my true self,” she continued.
The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA), which represents crew members at United Airlines, has reached out to affected members and has reminded flight attendants about assistance programs that could help someone facing crisis.
In a statement, United told us: “We are incredibly saddened by the tragic loss of Kayleigh Scott and extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends and coworkers.”
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Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying ever since... most recently for a well known European airline. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. Always keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage is frequently relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism.