Southwest Airlines pilot holds plane for murder victim’s family

January 10, 2011

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’s story.

Before I continue, I should mention a few things: Nancy is a faithful reader of this site, and I agreed to use only her first name because of the brutal nature of the crime and the age of the victim. Second, I’m not an emotional, John Boehner-type, but I can’t read her story without getting a little teary.

So you’ve been warned: Grab a tissue.

Last night, my husband and I got the tragic news 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.

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.

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.

I shared Nancy’s story with Southwest, and a representative said the airline was “proud” of the way the pilot had held the flight. Again, most airlines would punish an employee who holds up the line for any reason.

My Monday post is normally called, “Can this trip be saved?” But today I’m sharing a trip that was saved amid tragic circumstances by a compassionate pilot and an airline that supported his decision to hold a flight.

Good work, Southwest!

(Photo: gwil more/Flickr Creative Commons)

Tagged as: HOLD, PILOT, PLANE, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

Hijaz

This is a story not just about the pilot’s courage and
compassion, but about Southwest Airline as a whole and probably
also the gate and ticketing agents. How would the pilot have known
about Mark and his special circumstances if not for someone
deciding to ensure that this desperate man receives whatever help
he could. The security and check-in people apparently didn’t help
much, but someone else must have started the chain of events which
led to this outcome. That person surely has a good heart. The pilot
was, however, the final decision maker and he did a really special
thing. My condolences to Mark and his family.
Pingback: a good man. « moondreamers
Matt

Reading this in far away in Singapore. I am glad that the
pilot did what was right – with his heart.. So what is the few
minutes of delay ? for this reason. it is worth it…. The pilot
should be honored by some organization….
Shanghaimike

Hooray for compassion! I commend this SW pilot for his
attitude toward a broken hearted passenger. I hope & pray
that all of us can remember the “Golden Rule” of life; ‘Treat
others how you wish to be treated’. Don’t wait for somebody to be
kind to you, step up and Just Do It.
http://facebook.com Stephen Leong

Dear Mr Pilot, i’m very happy to hear that! Well In asia,
Air Asia, Tiger Airways, etc can delay a person flight by a few
hours or even cancel flight. We always received the bad news at the
airport. i was wondering how does Mr Pilot knows about the news
while Mr Mark is waiting for the check-ins? nevertheless Well Done
Mr Pilot~~ Hope i ever got a chance to sit in your airplane. Thanks
God there’s someone out there who is still with heart. Mr Mark, my
condolences to your grandson. I really feel sorry and sad to hear
that “asshole” did such stuff to your grandson.. Damn bloody
asshole. Sentence him to death by hang is the best!
Pingback: Clouds and skies. « VANILLA :)
Pingback: Pilot Holds Plane: Why I’m Willing to Wait | Nonstop World Travel
http://www.nonstop-world-travel.com/ Cassi and Erica @Nonstop World Travel

This is such a heartwarming story! It’s such a reminder to slow down and think about how a few minutes can make such a big difference. I just had to write about it on our own travel site…such great positive travel news!
SWA RAMPER

I am a fellow SWA employee. One of the things our company
was founded on is compassion. We try to give the customer what they
want. It was in the captains nature
Pingback: Southwest Airlines Pilot Helps Bereaved Grandfather Make Plane | KidGlue
http://camelsandchocolate.com Camels & Chocolate

Aww man, Chris. What a story. I’ve never had a bad experience with Southwest–love them, I just wish they flew to more places from San Francisco!
http://catherine.sg Catherine

Awesome job, Southwest.
Hope Nancy, her husband and their family can hang in there! =)
Henry Ackerman

Very emotional story. It made me cry!
http://rndnum.wordpress.com Brian Epps

I’m not surprised by this. If you had omitted the airline’s name I would have immediately fingered SWA as the first one I would expect such humanity from. SWA seems to take a long view in their dealings. There is a reason they have had a huge amount of customer loyalty and that loyalty has helped SWA make a profit even when most other airlines take a loss. By encouraging a customer-centric corporate culture SWA may take a few small losses, but it more than makes that back by generating goodwill and thus a preference in the public’s mind.
They say doing good is it’s own reward. Southwest Airlines knows also that doing good is often rewarded. They remain my airline of choice.
Tim

Southwest is the best airline ever
Paul

My heartfelt condolences to that family. I salute that pilot and Southwest…it’s so nice to see a switch from the cold hearted customer service, the corporate greed and the heavy handed and unnecessary TSA tactics….I believe Southwests approach is the reason for their success.
They certainly have my business every chance I get and I will always highly recommend them to friends and associates.
Pingback: Good News (mostly) blogged here !!! « Good news – people helping others
http://bargainbriana.com briana

what a great story! yet another reason I love to fly Southwest! My heart goes out to the family whose grandson was murdered! We had a similar event happen in our family recently where the boyfriend killed my little cousin. So sad. :( Glad that Southwest was able to keep the situation from compounding with empathy for the situation! If I was the flight and I knew we were waiting on someone in the same situation, I would be willing to wait extra time for that person to get to their flight!

Now, another Airline on the other hand, which starts with a D, doesn’t give two cents if your son is in the hospital and you’ve had a miserable experience! I practically got an eyeroll when I said I needed to get home because my son was in the hospital…luckily, he was okay by the time I got home but it is horrific that the gate closed 15 minutes before the scheduled departure on this flight…which left me and many other passengers stranded for hours!
http://yahoo joan boettcher

that was the sadest story i have read in a long time, my heart goes out for the family, yes i cried, and thank you South West Airlines, that horrible person should get the death penalty. joan
Pingback: Southwest Airlines Showing Compassion
http://mommy23monkeys.com Rhea

I came across this post by complete accident, but I have a very similar post live on my blog today. SW held up the plane for a family friend so that he could make it to his dying fathers bedside. The friend made it with only 2 hours to spare, if SW had not held the plane, he would have missed it and lost his chance to see his father one last time. Southwest is my new favorite airline!
Meg

I read this and could not stop crying. God Bless that pilot
and the Family. There are no words to describe how important an
impact those short 12 minutes made for that family.
Unbelievable.
Nick Mecca

SWA did this for me too. When my dad was dying, the morning of his death my mom called me and said “go to the airport, get on the soonest flight and get home.” I got there and all there was on any flight home for the next few hours was standby. I told my mom that I talked to the TSA agents and no one would help me get on a sooner flight. My mom called a friend who worked at SWA at the time and 5 minutes later, two security guards approached me and asked “Are you Nick?” “Yeah…” “Come with us, you’re going home, don’t worry about a boarding pass, we got you a seat”

<3 SWA.
RIP Dad.
http://msn.com Debbie Pickett

I am a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines and I could
not be prouder than a person could possibly be on the people
I work with and the company. It gives me so much pride to
know we make a difference when the difference really matters.
Martin

Southwest Airlines…the national airline of Texas!

Way to make us proud, ya’ll.
Pingback: The Most Important Goal | Alex Speaks
Toby Smith

Hello Chris,
Haven’t been able to forget this story. I would like to interview the grandparents on my radio program, “Alive and
Grateful,” which airs on blogtalkradio. Can you help me with contact information? Would really appreciate your help. Hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards, and thanks for sharing.

Miss Toby Smith, host
Alive and Grateful
tobyelainesmith@gmail.com
Pingback: Beautiful story | Rants, Raves & Reflections
Paul

I am a retired airline pilot and I can tell you I saw many such instances of compassion at many airlines large and small over the past thirty years . I also witnessed many instances of contrived irate behavior and tall stories by passengers in an attempt to gain some special accommodations that were not true,appropriate or necessary. This crew is to be commended for their compassion and common sense in dealing with the situation. They join many other airline personnel who have also done the right thing but did not get the national coverage that this story entails.
Pingback: Your chance of becoming a hero « hearts and sky
Pingback: Hero Pilot Pulls Out the Stops to Help Grandpa Reach Funeral « thegoodconductor
rae barrett

am so proud to read this – southwest you shall be my first choice any and everytime am in your neck of the woods. just goes to show one person DOES make a difference
Rhonda

Kudos to a large corporation that showed compassion. Southwest has always been a class act.
http://www.balisignaturevillas.com balisign

Southwest, your are the best
Pingback: Successful Businesses Hire the Right People | Terry Blanchard
Pingback: SAS sends an extra flight to save sight - The Wandering Aramean
Pingback: Pilot holds plane for murdered child’s grandfather | No ... Really.
datgrrl

Despite all of the negative press regarding SW Airlines, it’s good to see a positive story about them, enev if the circumstances were not so positive.
http://pilotincanada.com John May

I am sorry about your loss.
This article was very heart-warming and sad at the same time.
Alex Stofa

Voted best vacation read of the summer 2011

Cruise by Alex Stofa

When retired airline pilot Mac Knight and counselor Lynn
Baker plan their three month summer cruise to the Bahamas, Both Lynn’s and Mac’s
past bring a new dimension into their plans and into their cruise.

Their passion keeps their romance together.

But is their passion enough as Mac succumbs to keeping his
past alive and as Lynn tries to avoid the advances of her past love?

http://www.wix.com/alexsofacruise/cruise
Lobatosarah

Great Job, Pilot, and Northwest!!!! I have flown them and never had a problem, and that’s the truth!
Pingback: 8. Sweat the Small Stuff « Over the Dandruff
Pingback: The Values Proposition: Do Small Things with Great Love | iTAX – tax news
http://twitter.com/GinaCarr Gina Carr

What a terrific story. Thanks for sharing. It is so rare that a company employee does such a wonderful thing – and even more rare that it is ever shared publicly. I’m a big Southwest fan and this just adds to the reasons that I love this airline.

I’d love to share this with more people but I don’t see many share options on your post. I pressed the tweet and share buttons but I’m not sure they even worked. It didn’t give me the typical opportunity to see and edit my post. There was no option for emailing this story to another. Perhaps you limit the options for a brilliant strategic reason. Just wondering.
http://latevil.la LateVilla

Southwest has been my airline airline of choice for quite a while, and your story underlines what I have known for years.
http://latevil.la LateVilla

Southwest has been my airline airline of choice for quite a while, and your story underlines what I have known for years.
Pingback: Apt No.7 » The Values Proposition: Do Small Things with Great Love
Rjbj

I am sorry for your loss
… and Yes I have the tissues next to me as i read your brief… the tissues were used and it just goes to show us all that there are good people in this world and they do make up for the not-so-good people
Backpackersantiago

I am sure you mean a non-stop flight and not a direct flight. They are totally different.
Backpackersantiago

I am sure you mean a non-stop flight and not a direct flight. They are totally different.