Delta Airlines won hearts after act of compassion and humanity, helping a grieving daughter reach her dying mother in time.
Hannah White, a Dallas, Texas resident, was shocked to learn that her mother, Kathleen Nelson, was in critical condition, having undiagnosed pneumonia turn into septic shock.
With time of a few hours, White booked a flight from Dallas to Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a layover before arriving in North Dakota. Things were going from bad to worse as a delay in Dallas threatened to isolate her in Dallas on a Monday night.
“I knew there was a chance I wouldn’t make it,” White shared in her now-viral TikTok video. “I was heartbroken, thinking I might not get to say goodbye.”
Overwhelmed by panic and emotion, White turned to a flight attendant, Eva Ortiz, who listened attentively as she explained her heartbreaking situation. Ortiz was deeply moved by White’s plight and immediately escalated the matter to the flight’s captain, Keith Napolitano.
What happened next?
Captain Napolitano, feeling the sense of urgency, did something truly remarkable. He reached out to the pilot of the connecting Minneapolis flight and asked if they could hold the plane for White, a request in the world of tightly scheduled airline operations. Miraculously, the pilot agreed, and the connecting flight waited nearly 30 minutes for her arrival.
But the kindness didn’t stop there. The crew of Delta upgraded White’s seat to the front of the plane so she could deboard very quickly. When the Minneapolis crew called the flight attendant to make an announcement, she exited the plane first. A passenger even handed her a map of Minneapolis’s airport to help her get to the gate.
White arrived just in time and spent 24 precious hours with her mother. “My mom passed away the next day,” White later wrote. “Delta’s kindness gave me the chance to tell her I loved her one last time and comfort her in her final moments.”
‘Still Goodness in the world’
After White shared her story on TikTok, the video quickly blew up, garnering millions of views and thousands of comments. Many social media users were touched by Delta’s gesture, with one commenter saying, “This is the kind of story that reminds you there’s still goodness in the world.”
Others hailed the airline’s staff for prioritizing human contact above strict timetables. “These acts of kindness are so rare, yet they make all the difference,” one commenter posted.
Delta Airlines’ actions not only reunited a family but also highlighted the power of empathy in an industry often criticized for its lack of a personal touch.
Captain Napolitano summed it up perfectly, saying, “The stars don’t always align where I can affect the outcome, but this was one of those cases where I knew I had to try.”
