We all have different experiences when it comes to flying.
For some, it’s an exciting journey that will lead you to places you’ve only dreamed of.
It’s exhilarating, especially when you’re pushed back to your seat as the vehicle defies gravity.
For some, it’s anxiety-inducing: from dealing with a hornet’s nest of people in the airport and the nerve-wracking turbulence to the flight itself.
It was exactly what Molly Simonson Lee witnessed on her flight to New York.
Right after she boarded, she noticed one of the passengers that got settled in a little after when she did.
A confined space, a vehicle made up of a thousand different moving parts and being suspended thousands of feet mid-air – that could be downright frightening for some, especially for this passenger.
The moment she boarded, she made it clear that she would go through many emotions.
Lee heard her say she hasn’t flown for a long time and she wasn’t fond of flying.
Fortunately for her, there’s always someone to the rescue.
When the woman was uncomfortable, Floyd Dean-Shannon, a 44-year-old flight attendant, said that he’d be with her all the way.
“It was our first flight out,” Dean-Shannon told Good Morning America, “And it dawned on me … she had a look like, ‘I don’t want to be here.’ She was nervous.”
“Hey, I have you.” ~ Those were Dean-Shannon’s words to the passenger.
As the journey commenced, the flight attendant did what he could to make the passenger calm and comfortable.
The moment has since become viral.
The photo shows Dean-Shannon sitting on the aisle, clasping the passenger’s hand.
The photo has been shared thousands of times in just a short span of time.
Dean-Shannon said he held on to his coffee and sat beside the passenger for 10 minutes.
He explained to her the things that were about to happen, why they were happening, and what she would feel, see, and hear when all those things happened.
He also shared that he pulled out a “secret weapon.”
Dean-Shannon also made the passenger a mimosa to help her calm down.
His expertise, experience, and compassion were keys to the moment.
In a post by Delta Airlines, the carrier described Dean-Shannon as the perfect flight attendant – “personable, kind and knowledgeable about each and every squeak and bump.”
Dean-Shannon shared that through constant support, the passenger calmed down.
He said she was chit-chatting and taking pictures.
Dean-Shannon shared that he learned kindness and patience from his family.
He shared that he learned those qualities from his mother and sister, both of whom were nurses.
And while he was immensely grateful for the recognition, Dean-Shannon said he was just doing his job.
“When you get on an aircraft, it’s not about us, it’s about you,” he said.
“And if you’re not feeling good, I want to be there to say, ‘Hey, what’s wrong? Is there something I can do?'”
It was not a first-class cabin, but the service and heart were.
Click the video below to learn more about this heartwarming story!
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