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Home » Southwest Airlines » Heartwarming: Man Comforts Frightened 96-Year-Old Seatmate
Southwest Airlines

Heartwarming: Man Comforts Frightened 96-Year-Old Seatmate

Matthew Klint Posted onAugust 12, 2019November 14, 2023 6 Comments

a group of people sitting in an airplane

When a 96-year-old woman expressed fear of flying, the “flight angel” sitting next to her offered a helping hand.

Megan Ashley, a passenger across the aisle, witnessed the incident and documented it on Facebook. She was flying from San Diego (SAN) to Nashville (BNA) on Southwest and noticed a 96-year-old woman who had not flown in 15 years.

The elderly lady asked to hold her seatmate’s hand during takeoff and hugged him tightly when the flight got a bit bumpy. The unidentified gentleman was gracious and magnanimous throughout the flight..and even after. Ashely described what he did:

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. 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. 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.

What a beautiful gesture. I hope to have the opportunity one day to offer help in a similar way.

CONCLUSION

I’ve started the day off with two feel-good stories in part to show that not all news is bad news. For every drunk flight attendant or unruly passenger there are many stories of flight attendants and passengers who show compassion and love. My day is looking up in part due to these heartwarming stories. I hope your day is too!

> Read More: Flight Attendant Helps To Soothe Screaming Baby

image: Megan Ashley / Facebook

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

6 Comments

  1. Stuart Reply
    August 12, 2019 at 2:14 pm

    Wonderful story and I happen to like these here, Matthew. What I find sad is that in the spirit of our society today the drunk F/A post has over a 100 comments. This has none. I might be as much to blame in this as others in that maybe we have lost our compass as to what is the most worthwhile to talk to each other about. We seem to only know how to argue anymore.

    • Matthew Reply
      August 12, 2019 at 2:29 pm

      It is sad. Believe it or not, for every click this story has received (thus far) the drunk FA has received 150…that’s telling.

      • Stuart Reply
        August 12, 2019 at 5:42 pm

        I don’t envy you the blogging world. The monetized aspect (even though I know this is mostly a labor of love for you) drives the dialogue towards the most stirring of posts for the most out there making a living off of it. And, I guess, the algorithms of search engines return the most heated articles which further drives the traffic to controversy. The result is the society we have today.

        You are too young to remember Charles Kuralt, a hero to my grandfather, who made me watch his show as a child. It was on every Sunday and he would travel the country to find inspiring stories of every day people and feature them in an uplifting way. It was a wonderful show (and quite popular!) and reminds me of a time when we sought the happy stories. We were a society that had, despite the negative still there like today, an inherent faith in the good of mankind.

  2. Brandon Reply
    August 12, 2019 at 5:11 pm

    Thank you for highlighting stories like these.

  3. Anthony Reply
    August 12, 2019 at 9:55 pm

    It’s a nice story, but I feel like the person who posted this on FB violated their privacy. What if the woman didn’t want her fear of flying announced to the world? What if the man just wanted to privately engage in a kind gesture? I’m not judging you for posting this, since it’s a viral FB post, but just raising some questions for discussion.

  4. pvg Reply
    August 13, 2019 at 9:42 am

    Anthony +1

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