Flying can be a scary experience for some people, especially those who don’t travel by plane frequently. Many individuals just never entirely get used to the little metal boxes with wings, and we don’t blame them. After all, it does involve zipping through the air 30,000 feet above the ground at over 500 miles per hour.
However, sometimes the secret to getting through a tough flight is simply just asking for support from those around you on the plane.
You need to find your “flight angel”. That is the strategy a 96-year-old woman on a flight from San Diego to Nashville used recently.
The whole heartwarming story was shared on Facebook by passenger Megan Ashley who witnessed the whole thing play out in real-time.
Her beautiful account of the moment a young gentleman went out of his way to calm the woman’s nerves and help her through the flight is something that you just have to read.
“On my flight from San Diego to Nashville today, sitting in the row next to me was a 96 year old woman who hasn’t flown in 15 years,” wrote Ashley.
“For her birthday she wanted to go to Kansas City to see her family but she was scared of flying.”
15 years is a long time for anyone to go without flying and it’s easy to understand that she would be a little nervous.
Yet, the woman’s desire to celebrate her birthday with family members living in Kansas City was enough to inspire her to book the ticket anyway. Luckily, a fellow passenger stepped in to assist the scared grandma.
“She asked for this man’s hand during takeoff and then hugged him again when experiencing turbulence. This gentleman I should say, gladly took her hand, let her hold onto him, calmed her by talking to her and explaining everything that was happening, and simply was that stranger there for her.”
Despite the fact that the man had never met the woman before, he didn’t hesitate to lend his support.
“He knew just what to do the entire flight to help. He helped her stand up to go to the restroom and watched her carefully walk down the aisle. It made me smile the whole flight as he comforted her. This man was her flight angel,” wrote Ashley.
We love the term flight angel. It describes the kind-hearted man perfectly.
The two were complete strangers before the flight, but it didn’t matter. He was there to look out for her the whole trip and assure that she made it through the journey safely. He could have just as easily ignored the woman’s pleas for help or pawned her off on one of the flight attendants, but he didn’t.
Even after the plane landed, he did his best to make sure she got to her intended destination.
“He held her bag, helped her get off the plane and into the wheelchair, and when she got confused wondering where her daughter went (she called her her sister), he stayed with her until she caught up with her daughter who got separated from her.”
The whole heartwarming scene moved Ashley to tears.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“I walked away sobbing happy tears being so thankful for people like this wonderful human,” Ashley wrote.
With all the negativity that appears in the news these days, it’s little random events like these that help to restore our faith in humanity. There are still so many good people out there, even though sometimes it’s easy to forget. The man asked for nothing in return for his kindness. However, the elderly woman did offer him her bag of in-flight pretzels.
Ashley mentioned that she had never been so touched on a flight before. Witnessing the man’s act of kindness made her week. We totally agree, it is a beautiful story and one that is definitely worth sharing.
Read Megan Ashley’s entire Facebook post below about the flight angel that helped the 96-year-old woman.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
On my flight from San Diego to Nashville today, sitting in the row next to me was a 96 year old woman who hasn’t flown…
Posted by Megan Ashley onMonday, July 29, 2019
