A simple idea from a JetBlue flight attendant has turned a bathroom queue into an unexpected reminder of gratitude and connection.
JetBlue Flight Attendant Turns Bathroom Line Into Gratitude Wall
During a recent JetBlue flight, a flight attendant named Ashley, who posts on Instagram as @ashmatteooo, invited passengers waiting for the lavatory to write what they were thankful for on beverage napkins. As reported by View From The Wing, she then taped the notes to a galley side panel near the JetBlue logo, creating what looked like a “gratitude wall” in the front of the cabin.
By the end of the flight, the wall was filled with short expressions of thanks. According to Ashley’s post, passengers wrote about family, second chances after illness, new jobs, pets at home and appreciation for a safe flight. Many travelers thanked the crew for the idea and a few of the stories moved the crew to tears. In her caption, Ashley called it “a great time to reflect what really matters in this life” and expressed gratitude for a job that lets her meet people around the world and hear their stories.
Colleagues responded positively in the comments, calling her “the JetBlue experience” and expressing pride in working with her. One fellow flight attendant asked if she could borrow the idea on her own holiday flights, and Ashley encouraged her to do so.
Not everyone was impressed. As the story spread online, some commenters reacted with cynicism, including remarks such as “Don’t trust JetBlue” and “Just serve me drinks.” That mix of reactions is typical for social media, where even small acts of kindness at 35,000 feet are filtered through broader feelings about an airline brand.
This is not the first time a handwritten note project onboard has drawn attention. Nearly a decade ago, an American Airlines flight attendant launched a “Words from a Window Seat” project, leaving short affirmations taped to passenger windows that later went viral on Instagram. Both gestures share the same basic ingredients: paper, pen, tape and a willingness by crew to go beyond standard service to acknowledge the people in their care.
I love this… rather than being a rather tacky corporate-planned PR stunt, this seemed to flow up genuinely from Ashley as an expression of gratitude. We have much to be thankful for and reflecting on the great blessings bestowed upon us should make us kinder and more compassionate people.
CONCLUSION
Ashley’s gratitude wall is a reminder that commercial air travel does not have to be purely transactional. For the cost of a few napkins and tape, one crew created a space where passengers could pause and remember what they are thankful for, even in the middle of a crowded holiday flight. Whether or not every traveler wants that kind of interaction isn’t the issue: the response to this story shows there is still an appetite for small, authentic gestures onboard that recognize passengers as people rather than just seat numbers and calls on us to be thankful.
Absolutely lovely idea. These are the little things that remind us that we are all connected in so many ways.
I wonder about the motivation of the flight attendant who did this stunt. Would it have been done if there was pre internet? I believe some passengers did not want to participate, but felt pressured by the flight attendant to do so.
You must be fun at parties. It certainly beats credit card pitches and empty intent. Jeez, and I thought I was a curmudgeon, lol.