Why I’d Fly Delta Again After This Pittsburgh to Atlanta Flight

I was recently flying home from a work trip in Pittsburgh, connecting through Atlanta on a Delta/WestJet codeshare, and while the WestJet leg is a (not so great) story for another day, the Delta leg gave me something I wasn’t expecting at all.

Delta Check-In Counter at PIT

I fly Economy or Premium Economy most of the time (like my recent YYZ – GRU Economy flight), which means I’ve long since adjusted my expectations when it comes to cabin crew. Occasionally you get someone warm and friendly, but mostly everyone is simply doing their job, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

The flight was operated on a Boeing 717-200, a small twin-jet that’s common on shorter regional routes like this one. I was seated in 16E, the middle seat, and since I always try to board last if I can help it, I noticed right away that the aisle seat beside me was empty. A few minutes later, a flight attendant walked an elderly blind woman down the aisle and got her settled into that seat, with a second crew member close behind to help. What stood out to me wasn’t that they helped her, since that’s simply expected, but the way they went about it, without any sense of hurry and without it feeling like a performance for anyone watching. Every instruction was given slowly and gently, every touch on her arm or shoulder was careful, and they narrated small things most people would never think to say out loud, like where the call button was or how many rows until the lavatory, as though they understood that her world was built entirely on the details other passengers take for granted. Watching them, I remember thinking they had the kind of patience and gentleness you’d want in a nurse, or in anyone whose job depends on showing up for people at their most vulnerable. It definitely went well beyond their job description and it was heartwarming to witness.

Delta Economy Cabin on Boeing 717-200

Because she was sitting right next to me, I did the small things that needed doing, like pressing the call button when she wanted the crew or lowering her tray table for her, nothing that really warranted any thanks. It ended up being a bumpy, hour-long flight with no food or drink service, which didn’t bother me since I rarely take anything on short hauls to begin with.

As I was making my way off the plane, one of the flight attendants who had been looking after her stopped me in the aisle and handed me a small stack of snacks (some of the better ones!) and told me, “Thank you so much for helping her, that was really sweet of you.”

Snacks from the Cabin Crew on my Flight

I hadn’t really done anything. He and his colleague were the ones who deserved the thanks. But I’ve found myself thinking about that moment more than I expected to, not because of the snacks themselves, but because of the two people who clearly saw taking care of a vulnerable passenger as something more than just another task to check off before landing.

Travel gives you plenty of reasons to be annoyed, between the delays and the middle seats and the gate changes, and this wasn’t some polished moment you plan for or try to optimize your points around. It was simply two people being decent at their jobs on a flight where nobody was really watching closely enough to expect it, and that alone is reason enough for me to fly Delta again.