Mission Details

• DEPARTURE: Saturday, April 18, 2026 — Flight 4028 on Southwest Airlines, departs at 6:05 AM from Rochester International Airport
• WELCOME HOME: Sunday, April 19, 2026
• AIRPORT CELEBRATION: Between 12:15 to 2:30 PM, after the veterans have disembarked from the plane.
• FLIGHT INFO: Arrival, 11:40 AM Sunday, April 19^th, on Southwest Flight # 1287 at Rochester Airport

Welcome Home Lineup

• EMCEE: Stacey Pensgen, Meteorologist, News 10 NBC
• KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Lt. Colonel Angel Pilato, U.S. Air Force, Retired
• ANTHEM SINGER: Jerry Bartholomew
• BAND: Rock City Guardians
• COLOR GUARD: Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 20

April 15, 2026                                                               

Media and Public Relations Coordinator     

Honor Flight Rochester (HFR) is pleased to kick off the 2026 season with Mission 94.  This is our first flight of the 2026 season and will fly this weekend, April 18^th-April 19^th. 

HFR Missions provide local veterans with what has been described as the “Trip of a Lifetime.”  Veteran applications never expire.  Their position on the Fly List advances with each flown mission and depending on the age or health issues of the veteran can potentially move them up the list.  Our motto is, “We Leave No Veteran Behind.”  Mission 94 will fly fifty-eight veterans including 2 Korean War Veterans, 2 Cold War Veterans, 9 Cold War/Vietnam Veterans, 42 Vietnam Veterans and 3 Veterans from the Post 1975 era.  There is also one Female Veteran.  The branches of service include 33 Army Veterans, 5 Air Force Veterans, 1 Coast Guard Veteran and 19 Navy Veterans. 

One previous veteran, a World War II Veteran, described his trip as “the best two days of my life.”  Sentiments similar to this are shared by many of the veterans who fly with Honor Flight Rochester.

Since 2008, Honor Flight has flown, including Mission 94, 4,824 Veterans, funded entirely through the generosity of our community, including individuals, organizations, corporations, and hundreds of volunteers and testamentary bequests.