Flying with disabled children can be very stressful for parents.
A Delta flight attendant, Amanda, went above the beyond when she saw an autistic child who refused to be calmed down during flying. No matter how hard his mother tried, this child kept crying. Amanda felt empathy and wanted to help this mother. She told mum that she would show him around the cabin but mum warned her that her son could be aggressive as he was not accustomed to other adults outside his immediate family. Amanda did not mind and invited him to take a tour of the plane. She comforted mum that she had experiences as a volunteer with Special Olympics in high school.
The mother was surprised to see her son became calm and well behaved quickly. He was able to make friends with Amanda and mum thanked her for being so kind to her son.
Another surprise for Amanda was when another passenger from a few rows away told her that “he has never seen a flight attendant do this and that he really appreciated it”. This passenger also has a son who is autistic.
Senior Vice President of Inflight service was pleased with Amanda’s kindness and wrote “This exemplifies Delta difference in every way” and she said “Service from the heart is what we’re all about and I’d like to thank Amanda and Delta employees around the globe for showing thoughtful service like this to the world”
Inflight Disability Information 