Heartwarming viral photo shows Delta flight attendant holding nervous passenger's hand as he comforts her
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: A viral photo showing a Delta flight attendant sitting down and warmly holding the hand of an anxious passenger during her trip has received a ton of love online. Aerophobia, the fear of flying, is quite common in the US which makes the image all the more endearing to look at. The heartwarming photo, which was shared by Molly Simonson Lee of Raleigh on her Facebook page, has received 12,000 likes and over 11,000 shares at the time of filing this report.
Lee told Fox Television Studios that she took the photo on January 14 during a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to JFK Airport in New York. She recounted that the passenger was already nervous before the plane took off from the gate. "When the woman in the photo boarded, she made it clear pretty quickly that she was anxious about flying and hadn't flown in a long time," Lee explained. The onboarded woman was apparently uneasy by the routine noises an aircraft makes during its departure. At the sight of this, the flight attendant, identified as Floyd Shannon-Dean, came over and reassured her, explaining the reasons for the noises.
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Later in the flight, when the woman did not gain her composure, Shannon-Dean “calmly came” next to her seat to comfort her. "About midway through the flight, she had tears streaming down her face. He quickly and calmly came and sat down and took her hand," she added. Lee told the outlet that Shannon-Dean talked to the passenger while sitting on the floor, in the aisle, for about five to 10 minutes until the anxious passenger calmed down.
The touching gesture yielded results as the passenger started to calm down. "She was laughing with her seatmates and seemed to be fully composed after their interaction," Lee explained. "With everything, flight crews have to deal with and how hard they work, I thought it was incredible that he was spending so much energy to go above and beyond when he didn't have to," Lee stated. "To see someone being so kind and warm to a stranger, especially when there was no obligation to do anything, was really moving to me."
Lee talked to Shannon-Dean after the flight and told him about the photo she took and eventually shared. She hopes that his actions are acknowledged by the flight agency he works under. "I hope there is a second chapter to this where we find out that Floyd was promoted and/or got a raise because his actions should be appreciated!" Lee said.
"We are touched by the kindness shown by this flight attendant, working on a Delta Connection flight, and proud that this humanity is displayed by our people every day," the airline said in a statement to FOX Television Stations. "Delta and its partners are dedicated to embodying warmth and care – the Delta Difference – to ensure our customers enjoy a premium overall experience."
