Stranger Comforts Scared 96-Year-Old Passenger On Her First Flight In 15 Years

by SharonKurheg

For all the horrid stories you hear about air travel – when Dr. Dao was dragged off the United plane a few years ago, the fistfights that have happened, etc., etc., etc., – it’s always an awesome thing when you hear about the goodness of people, for a change. And that’s exactly what happened not long ago, on a Southwest flight.

On July 29th, Megan Ashley was on a flight from San Diego to Nashville and discovered she was sitting directly across the aisle from someone who turned out to be what she called a “flight angel.”

A 96-year-old woman was in the middle seat and in the aisle was a much younger man wearing a baseball cap. They didn’t know each other, but the older woman explained it was her first flight in 15 years.

Ashley reported on her Facebook: “For her birthday, she wanted to go to Kansas City to see her family, but she was scared of flying. She asked for this man’s hand during takeoff and then hugged him again when experiencing turbulence.”

She continued that the man, a total stranger, “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.”

During the flight, the kind man helped the elderly woman get up to go to the lavatory, and he made sure she safely made it to the restroom and back.

The woman appeared to be quite grateful to have met such a sweet, helpful person on the flight, and even offered the man her in-flight pretzels, according to Ashley.

“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,” Ashley said.

She added that the man also made sure the woman caught up with her daughter, who had also been on the flight but had somehow been separated from her mom.

“Hats off to you sir, for your kind heart and your compassion toward someone whom you’ve never met. I have never been so touched on a flight before. This truly made my week,” said Ashley.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

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