Passenger Shares The Heartwarming Lengths Delta Flight Staff Took To Ensure She'd Make It To Say Goodbye To Her Dying Mother
A little kindness goes a long way at 30,000 feet.
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV | Shutterstock After a woman received devastating news about her mother, the flight attendants aboard her plane made it their mission to ensure she had a smooth journey no matter how many uncontrollable obstacles got in their way.
Now, she is thanking Delta for giving her the gift of time, promising that they have a forever customer in her.
Delta flight attendants went above and beyond to ensure a passenger was able to make her connecting flight and see her mom for the last time.
We’re all familiar with horror stories about air transportation, whether flights are delayed for hours, passengers get stuck in the middle seat, or tempers flare between travelers and TSA.
Despite the many frustrating mishaps of flying, there are still moments that restore our faith in humanity.
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One woman discovered this when she was traveling to see her dying mother. The woman, named Hannah White, shared her bittersweet experience in a TikTok video that has garnered over 5 million views.
According to Hannah, her mother, who lived in a different state, was hospitalized for undiagnosed pneumonia. Even though she had surgery and appeared to be doing well, she took a turn for the worse and went into septic shock.
Doctors didn't know how long the passenger's mom had left, so she took the first flight out of Dallas.
When Hannah’s brother informed her that they didn’t know how much time their mother had left, she knew she had to get to her bedside as soon as possible.
“I got on the first flight out the following day from Dallas with a connection in Minneapolis,” Hannah shared. Unfortunately, her flight leaving Dallas was stuck on the tarmac for over an hour due to mechanical issues.
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“I knew if I didn’t make my connecting flight, I wouldn’t see my mom until the following day, and we weren’t sure she’d be alive,” she wrote.
When Hannah explained her situation to a flight attendant and asked if there was anything she could do, she, unfortunately, informed her that she would be missing her connecting flight and they would book her one for the following day.
“As she explained this, I immediately started welling up with tears,” Hannah wrote. “She apologized and cried with me. I balled in my seat, knowing there was a possibility I wouldn’t be able to see my mom one last time.”
Delays would force the passenger to miss her connecting flight, but a Delta flight attendant stepped in to save the day.
The flight attendant attempted one more time to work her magic and get Hannah on her connecting flight, and thankfully, she was able to perform a miracle!
“An hour later she came back and said our pilot called the other pilot and explained my story. The other pilot said he would wait for me so I could see my mom,” Hannah shared.
The luck didn’t end there. The flight attendant also bumped Hannah up to first class and the pilot made an announcement to the entire flight to let her off first when they landed so she could say goodbye to her mom.
When the man who was seated next to her realized that the pilot was referring to her, he pulled out a map of the airport to help her plan the quickest route to her gate.
“They let me off, and I ran through the airport to make my flight, knowing that they had been waiting for 30 minutes for me,” Hannah wrote. “The whole time I was picturing my mom and how she would run across the country for me too.”
When Hannah boarded her connecting flight, she was greeted by the crew members who welcomed her by saying, “We’ve been waiting for you, Hannah!”
“I sat in my seat and relaxed, knowing I was going to be able to see my mom that night,” she wrote.
Once the plane landed and she was getting off, the flight attendants all gave her encouraging words and wished her luck. While she was waiting for her ride outside, the pilot of the connecting flight spotted Hannah and shook her hand, promising to pray for her.
The passenger's mom passed away the following day, and she thanked Delta for giving her an extra 24 hours with her and the time to say goodbye.
“I was able to say, ‘I love you’ one last time and provide comfort for her in the final moments that she provided for me my whole life,” she shared.
Now, Hannah is forever grateful to Delta and the crew members who made it possible for her to say goodbye to her mother.
Between delays, cramped spaces, and long security lines, traveling is already stressful enough. Having to rush to see your dying mother for the last time makes it all the more stressful.
No matter how chaotic the journey may be and how overstimulated you may feel, it never hurts to treat your fellow travelers with respect.
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The person running through the aisle to get off the plane first may be trying to make their connecting flight to say goodbye to a loved one.
A little kindness —a smile, a word of encouragement, or even a hug could make all the difference in the world for someone silently suffering.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.