Tis the season of gift-giving, and as the old adage goes, “The best present is your presence.” It doesn’t cost any money, yet is extremely valuable: a lesson that our Customer, James Bass was reminded of when they encountered PHX Flight Attendant Michael Broadhead on a recent flight.
Mr. Bass, his wife, and their two young sons were traveling from Sacramento to Raleigh-Durham on the same aircraft for eight hours when they met Michael on the PHX to DEN portion. Michael immediately began engaging the Bass boys in conversation; they were mesmerized by his knowledge of planes. But Michael did not stop there.
During the next layover in Denver, Michael asked the boys if he could borrow the stuffed animals that they had been holding on to during the flight. He took Pooh and Wolf Pup to the Flight Deck and took a picture of them at the controls. He brought the picture back and shared with the boys more about the safety features of the aircraft and how the Pilot uses them to fly the plane safely.
Michael’s attentiveness was especially impactful to the Bass’ 10-year-old son who walks with Autism every day of his life and deals with sometimes debilitating anxiety in stressful situations.
As Mr. Bass puts it, “Michael took time to give my son information that comforted him and gave him a sense of control that relieved much of his worry to the point he actually enjoyed the flight,” as any parent of a child with special needs can tell you, that is a gift on which you cannot put a price.
For more stories worth their weight in Hospitality gold, click here. Happy Holidays!
Tis the season of gift-giving, and as the old adage goes, “The best present is your presence.” It doesn’t cost any money, yet is extremely valuable: a lesson that our Customer, James Bass was reminded of when they encountered PHX Flight Attendant Michael Broadhead on a recent flight.
Mr. Bass, his wife, and their two young sons were traveling from Sacramento to Raleigh-Durham on the same aircraft for eight hours when they met Michael on the PHX to DEN portion. Michael immediately began engaging the Bass boys in conversation; they were mesmerized by his knowledge of planes. But Michael did not stop there.
During the next layover in Denver, Michael asked the boys if he could borrow the stuffed animals that they had been holding on to during the flight. He took Pooh and Wolf Pup to the Flight Deck and took a picture of them at the controls. He brought the picture back and shared with the boys more about the safety features of the aircraft and how the Pilot uses them to fly the plane safely.
Michael’s attentiveness was especially impactful to the Bass’ 10-year-old son who walks with Autism every day of his life and deals with sometimes debilitating anxiety in stressful situations.
As Mr. Bass puts it, “Michael took time to give my son information that comforted him and gave him a sense of control that relieved much of his worry to the point he actually enjoyed the flight,” as any parent of a child with special needs can tell you, that is a gift on which you cannot put a price.
For more stories worth their weight in Hospitality gold, click here. Happy Holidays!