Elderly Woman’s Dream Comes True After Fellow Passenger Gives Up First-Class Seat for Her

(TMU) — Social media is abuzz after one kindhearted man gave up his first-class seat for an enthusiastic 88-year-old, immediately brightening her journey.

Virgin Atlantic flight attendant Leah Amy of Manchester shared the inspiring story of the act of kindness on Facebook in a post that has since gone viral, racking up over 8.6 thousand likes and 2.5 thousand shares.

In the post, Leah wrote:

“Of the hundreds of flights I’ve operated, I’ve had the pleasure of looking after footballers, supermodels and some Hollywood movie stars, but let me tell you about my two favorite passengers EVER!”

The New Zealand Herald reports that the two travelers, Jack and Violet, were at an unnamed airport where they immediately struck a chord, forging an “instant friendship” as they waited to board their plane. The two were on a flight to New York City.

Violet, a retired nurse, was traveling from London to New York to visit her daughter. Due to her surgery for a knee replacement, the trip had been delayed for some time.

For Violet, it had “always been her dream” to experience a flight from the front of the plane. So Jack, without thinking twice, decided to make the octogenarian’s long-held dream come true.

Leah explained:

“Jack and his family purchased seats in our upper class cabin for a flight home from New York, but when he got on-board, Jack went and found Violet in economy and swapped seats with her.

He then sat on the row of seats directly next to the economy toilets and never made a peep or asked for anything the rest of the flight. No fuss, no attention, literally did it out of the kindness of his own heart, no one asked him too.”

Violet was thrilled by the gesture.

“You should [have] seen her face when I tucked her in her bed after supper,” Leah recounted.

Violet said that her daughter would never believe that her dream had come true without some pictures, but that she didn’t have a phone number or email address. So Leah snapped some shots and told Violet that she would send her the copies, but would also share the story with the rest of the world through social media.

Facebook users have praised Jack for his compassionate gesture.

One user commented:

“Thank you Jack. You have a heart of gold. The airline should give you a free ride next time for your act of kindness.”

While another succinctly summed up what had occurred:

“What a wonderful gesture from Jack. And I love the joy on Violet’s face. In a world where people are becoming more and more selfish, and less accountable for their actions, this gives me hope. If everyone paid it forward to another person, no matter how small the gesture may be, the world would be a happier and kinder place.”

By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com