Airlines Going Above & Beyond – Positive Crew Stories – AA, DL, B6,VX

We have a tendency to focus on the negative customer service stories when it comes to the airlines (especially the US carriers), but ABC News today carries an article with four very positive stories. In each story, in addition to ensuring our safety, these crew members went above and beyond for a passenger:

American

The first incident involves a pilot who blogs as JetHead, a self-described veteran American Airlines captain. Last month, he saw a little girl crying at the boarding gate in Dulles. Long story short, the child left her backpack at security (with teddy bear inside) and the pilot risked a late departure to go back and get it. “We don’t just fly jets,” he wrote, “we fly people. And the occasional teddy bear.” The plane departed on time.

JetBlue

The second incident involves a non-recovered bear despite the heroic efforts of JetBlue employees, so they did the next best thing: they sent the lost bear’s owner a new one which at four-and-a-half-feet tall, was bigger than the child. The delighted youngster promptly dubbed him “Fatty.”

Virgin America

A couple aboard a Virgin America flight were planning to renew their vows in Vegas, but once the cabin crew heard about this, they figured, why wait? The human touch played out in a spontaneous mid-air ceremony complete with free drinks for all. Something similar happened during a long wait at the gate in San Francisco (blame the famous fog). The Virgin in-flight crew swung into action, hauling out the drink cart to serve pre-flight cocktails. I suspect that was one delay few complained about.

Delta

As reported by a North Dakota TV station, Brian Holzer died in a freak accident a couple of years ago while putting up Christmas lights. Ever since, his 7-year-old son Cole has clung to the shirt his dad was wearing, a now well-worn but much loved reminder of the man he misses so much. Cole takes it everywhere, including a recent family trip to San Diego on Delta. Somehow, the shirt got lost. The boy was inconsolable. A family friend called Delta asking, could they help? They could. Delta spokesman Michael Thomas told me they had pilots looking, they put out word on Facebook, gate agents dug through trash, ground crews went diving in dumpsters – and that’s where the shirt was found. The priceless artifact was returned to its owner. “A touching, heartwarming story that really speaks volumes about our employees,” said Thomas.

I also had no idea that JetBlue waived baggage fees at Logan and is providing free coffee and donuts throughout the terminal all week long in the wake of the horrible Boston Marathon bombings…quite the stand-up move!