A mum has written an open letter to American Airlines thanking the staff for how they treated her family with “gentleness and warmth” on a Christmas flight.
Adrian Wood was travelling on an internal flight to Miami from North Carolina, US, with her four young children – a stressful prospect for any parent.
Although the mother-of-four frequently travels with her brood, this time was different.
“Nothing seemed to be a problem. And today, I needed nothing to be a problem,” she said.
“It has been a tough year truthfully.”
It all started when Wood arrived at the terminal with her “motley crew”, who are aged, three, seven, nine and 11. Her youngest son, Amos, also has special needs and is unable to speak.
Wood said: “Flying alone with my pack is not for the faint of heart.”
When Wood dropped off her luggage outside the terminal, a member of staff immediately helped her at the curb with the bags and collected her boarding passes while she waited in the warmth of the car.
She was impressed with this gesture, but it didn’t end there.
Once inside, the family didn’t have to wait in the long queue, and instead were treated as priority customers, which she says her children were “enchanted” by.
She had only bought economy tickets, but at the gate they were ushered forward and escorted on to the plane for early boarding.
Once seated they were given extra legroom, as well as in-flight entertainment, for no extra cost.
And to top it off, the flight attendant even snapped a photo of the family.
Wood, who is a writer and blogger explained that these small gestures made the world of difference to her journey.
“It reminded us that people really do care about families like my own. The kindness you gifted us today went above and beyond. The good in our world is too often swallowed by the not so good.
“You made a mother and four children feel awfully special. What a Christmas gift,” said Wood.