An act of kindness goes a long way. And that it did during a Delta flight where a flight attendant comforted a highly anxious passenger aboard, according to reports from Insider, CNN and WBTV.
According to Delta, a woman named Shannon who was a passenger on a recent flight, was flying from Charlotte, North Carolina, to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Jan. 14, when the plane experienced turbulence, Insider reported.
That’s when Dean-Shannon — a Delta Connection flight attendant with Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air — stepped in to help.
“Hey, I have you,” Delta flight attendant Floyd Dean-Shannon said as he crouched down in the aisle to comfort her.
The moment of comfort has since gone viral.
Dean-Shannon sat down in the aisle, held the passenger’s hand, and stayed with her for the remainder of the flight, explaining every bump they encountered, according to the same source.
Another passenger on the flight, Molly Simonson Lee, photographed the moment and shared it to her Facebook page. The photo quickly gained traction online.
“Check out this gem of a flight attendant,” Lee said. “This woman was so nervous about flying, so he explained every sound and bump and even sat here holding her hand when it still got to be too much for her.”
Lee told Charlotte station WBTV that the woman being comforted made it clear from the start that she was anxious about flying, having not done so in a long time and said that Dean-Shannon was “exceptional,” as he talked the woman through a routine alarm that sounded.
“He was sort of explaining everything and about mid-flight, she had tears and obviously having a real tough time,” Lee told WBTV. “He saw that and quickly and calmly went over and sat next to her and had such warmth and calmness.”
She said Dean-Shannon spent about five to 10 minutes comforting the woman, leading to her being much more relaxed for the rest of the flight.
According to Delta, Dean-Shannon has been a flight attendant for three months.
“As a flight attendant, you set the tone,” Dean-Shannon was quoted saying on Delta’s website. “As a passenger, I would want to be treated the same way. I have to remember; I was in that seat, too.”
The act of kindness was noticed by CNN, who recently reported on the moment.
“When she came onto the plane she was a little nervous,” Dean-Shannon said of the passenger on CNN. “Before we even took off, she started sweating.”
Dean-Shannon said to CNN when he started comforting Shannon, she said, “I don’t want this, I’m embarrassed,” to which he responded, “there’s no need to be embarrassed, I’m here.”
Fast forward to now, according to Delta, Dean-Shannon and Shannon have since become Facebook friends.
“She now wants me with her on every single flight,” Dean-Shannon said on Delta’s website.
Lee ended her Facebook post by tagging Delta and writing, “Floyd Dean-Shannon deserves a raise!”
Since then, Lee has launched a GoFundMe campaign for the “beautiful soul who has inspired so many.” As of Tuesday, Jan. 31, it had raised more than $5,000 of its $10,000 goal.
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