On Thursday, December 8, Southwest Airlines welcomed six-year-old Logan Thaxton and his family aboard Flight #3024 in Tulsa, Oklahoma for a very special Make-A-Wish trip to Walt Disney World© in Orlando, Florida. It started off pretty routine, however, when the flight touched down in Houston passengers were a little lighter in their wallets, but much fuller in their hearts, and you're about to learn why.
Immediately upon boarding, an excited and eager Logan was taken under the wing of the Southwest Flight Crew. Logan and his brother, Elijah, were introduced to the Captain and First Officer, and given an opportunity to take a few pictures in the Flight Deck before departure.
While Customers found seats and stowed bags during general boarding, Flight Attendant Michele Ashley made a special announcement to celebrate Logan, his family, and the beginning of their journey to fulfill Logan’s wish of meeting Mickey Mouse.
Later, as Flight Attendants made preparations for the inflight hospitality service, Ashley once again grabbed the intercom and announced Logan would be assisting the Flight Crew by passing out peanuts.
“I watched him walk down that aisle,” said Ashley, “and, I’m telling you, not a single Customer said ‘no’ to Logan.”
Logan’s mom, Nickia Barbee, moved to the back of the plane to take pictures and videos of Logan handing out snacks, and that’s when something pretty special started to happen. “The people on that plane, they were all about Logan,” said Barbee. “And a couple of people started giving Logan tips.”
Before long, the idea caught on, and Customers started pressing their Flight Attendant call buttons to signal that they, too, wanted to give Logan a “tip.”
“Once people figured out what was happening, the cabin lit up like a Christmas tree,” Ashley said. As people continued to flag Logan down, Ashley grabbed some bags and helped him collect the money. Just before landing, while Customers looked on, Logan’s tips were counted up at the front of the plane – a total of more than $1,400.00. The cabin erupted in applause. In less than two hours, a spontaneous act of generosity more than doubled the spending money Logan's family had been given for their trip.
As the passengers deplaned in Houston, Logan stood near the front galley and said goodbye to each person with fist bumps, hi-fives, and hugs.
“I was crying, and I’m pretty sure I saw grown men crying,” said Barbee. “It was amazing.”
