Southwest Airlines pilot holds plane for murder victim’s family

Photo of author

By Christopher Elliott

It’s easy to be an airline industry critic in an era of “no waivers, no favors” and fees on top of fees. It’s easy to paint airlines as heartless corporations that treat us like self-loading cargo.

But every now and then, you hear a story that turns you into an adoring fan. Like Nancy Dickinson’s story.

Before I continue, I should mention two things. Dickinson is a faithful reader of this site, and in the initial version of this story, I agreed to use only her first name because of the brutal nature of the crime and the age of the victim. (Update: After this story appeared in 2011, I updated the article with her full name.) Second, I’m not an emotional type, but I can’t read her story without getting a little teary.

So you’ve been warned: Grab a tissue.

A heartwarming act of kindness by a pilot

Last night, the tragic news was received by my husband and me that our three-year-old grandson in Denver had been murdered by our daughter’s live-in boyfriend.

He is being taken off life support tonight at 9 o’clock and his parents have opted for organ donation, which will take place immediately. Over 25 people will receive his gift tonight and many lives will be saved.

This morning, after only a couple hours sleep, my husband and I began to make all arrangements to get him to Denver to be with our daughter. He is currently on business in LA and is flying Southwest.

While his employer, Northrop Grumman, made arrangements to get his ticket changed so he could get to Tucson today (which he had to do in order to not spend any extra money) I called Southwest to arrange his flight from Tucson to Denver so he would be stepping off one plane and getting on another.

International Citizens Insurance helps expats, travelers and anyone far from home find the right insurance plan. Our knowledgeable agents will help you find the best plan at the right price and be your advocate for the life of your policy.

He has several free flights with them so I couldn’t really do it on the website. The ticketing agent was holding back tears throughout the call. I’m actually her step-mother and it’s much more important for my husband to be there than for me to be there.

In LAX, the lines to both check a bag and get through security were exceptional. He got to the airport two hours early and was still late getting to his plane.

Every step of the way, he’s on the verge of tears and trying to get assistance from both TSA and Southwest employees to get to his plane on time.

According to him, everyone he talked to couldn’t have cared less. When he was done with security, he grabbed his computer bag, shoes and belt and ran to his terminal in his stocking feet.

When he got there, the pilot of his plane and the ticketing agent both said, “Are you Mark? We held the plane for you and we’re so sorry about the loss of your grandson.”

The pilot held the plane that was supposed to take off at 11:50 until 12:02 when my husband got there.

As my husband walked down the Jetway with the pilot, he said, “I can’t thank you enough for this.”

The pilot responded with, “They can’t go anywhere without me and I wasn’t going anywhere without you. Now relax. We’ll get you there. And again, I’m so sorry.”

My husband was able to take his first deep breath of the day.

I don’t know any other airline that would have done this.

Good work, Southwest!

We’re used to getting complaints about Southwest on this site. But this time, I’m speechless. Twelve minutes may not sound like a lot to you or me, but every second counts when you’re an airline. Southwest can turn an entire plane around in about 20 minutes, so 12 minutes is half an eternity. (Here’s what to do when your flight has been delayed or canceled.)

I shared Dickinson’s story with Southwest, and a representative from the airline expressed pride in the way the pilot had held the flight. Again, most airlines would punish an employee who holds up the line for any reason.

Good work, Southwest!

About this story

This story was originally posted in 2011. It generated a wave of positive publicity for Southwest and an outpouring of grief and support for Dickinson and her family. Looking back 12 years later, I wish I had asked Dickinson more questions about what happened that day, but I wanted to be respectful of her in her time of loss. As you can see in the comments, she later added some detail about the aftermath of her grandson’s murder. It is heartbreaking. Holding the plane for 12 minutes cost the airline an on-time departure, but it won Southwest many friends. And they remain friends to this day. This story was researched, written and fact-checked by Christopher Elliott, edited by Grant Ritchie and his team, and illustrated by Amoré Strydom.

Photo of author

Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. He is based in Rio de Janeiro.

Related Posts