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Airborne Acts of Kindness

Practically any form of travel can be stressful when you’ve got somewhere to be – it doesn’t matter whether you’re stuck in traffic, waiting for a delayed flight or up in the sky with a screaming baby. People tend to get short-tempered in these situations, and when the consequences of missing your flight can cost a lot of money, tensions do tend to be high.

That’s why it’s so exceptionally lovely when an another passenger or airline employee performs a simple act of kindness to get you through the day. The next time you’re travelling, think about whether you can do something small to make someone’s day better.

Last August, Shanell Mouland wrote a blog talking about the priceless act of kindness that happened to her while on a flight with her young autistic daughter Kate. Parents are often aware of how disruptive their children can be while trapped on a plane, so Shanell was understandably worried that if the wrong person got the seat next to Kate she could be in for a rough flight.

Luckily, the businessman who eventually sat next to Kate was full of the milk of human kindness, and instead of ignoring her or being frustrated because he couldn’t get his work done, he played with her and her Ninja Turtle toys instead. When she got upset at the end of the flight, he helped them both to get off the plane quickly. You can read the story for yourself at Shanell’s blog, Go Team Kate.

Kate Mouland modelling her turtle backpack

In March, Miriam Thomas was stranded in California when her return flight ticket was cancelled by the airline. Instead of having to wait the night out an employee from another airline used her own travel vouchers to pay for her to get on the flight and paid the rest off herself. She wouldn’t take a penny in recompense, even from her own airline!

In February, passengers on a flight from Alicante to Leeds Bradford Airport came into the country to find that the airline had arranged personalised gifts for all of them. In recognition of International Random Acts of Kindness Week, passengers were asked before they boarded what they missed from home. In Leeds, the staff hurried to procure gifts from tea sets to teddy bears, each individually wrapped and arriving on the luggage carousel.

This month in Tampa International Airport, the operations manager decided to take a child’s lost toy and turn it into something incredible for him to come back to.

When six year old Owen Lake lost his toy tiger Hobbes in the airport, his parents assured him that the tiger had gone on travels of his own, and expected to never see him again. However Tony D’Aiuto, the operations manager, not only reunited Owen with Hobbes but also presented him with a picture book of Hobbes’ travels!

The book contained images of the tiger buying gelato, playing Jenga, working out in the staff gym and hanging out with the airport’s firefighters. When Owen came back to Tampa he was presented with his favourite toy and this book – his mother cried with happiness.

Owen and Hobbes are reunited

So how can you pass on an act of kindness while travelling? Well here are just a few ideas – and hopefully you’ll find out how incredibly rewarding it can be to help another human being!

If a group wants to sit together, offer to move so that they can – especially if it makes no difference to you. Don’t wait for anyone to ask, just approach the gate and let the crew know that you’re happy to move. If family or friends aren’t able to sit together this is a good opportunity too, and you never know when you’ll need someone to do the same for you.

If your flight is over-booked you can agree with airline staff to take the next one to help someone out. The selfish side of this is that you’ll probably get the flight free anyway!

If you see someone struggling with their luggage and you’re able to help, do so. If you’ve got snacks and the stomach of the person next to you is rumbling, share them. And don’t forget to show your appreciation for the airline staff who deal with untold stress every single day!

We want to hear your stories about acts of kindness while flying – either something nice someone did for you, or that you did for someone else. Fill out the form below and we’ll showcase some of the best stories next month.