The flight from Atlanta, Georgia to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina is a short one, about 90 minutes. On Nov. 6, however, Delta Flight 2052 was jam-packed with emotion as a result of airline staffing shortages and impending flight reductions.
But everything changed when the pilot stepped into the cabin to address his passengers with a very personal story.
“I know we probably have quite a few nervous flyers today,” the pilot said in a viral video that has almost 400,000 likes on Instagram. “It is perfectly understandable. I want to emphasize that this aircraft does not move a single inch unless both my co-captain Michael and myself are absolutely certain it’s safe to do so.”
But he didn’t just stop there. He told the passengers his very sweet reason for wanting to deliver them to their destination safely.
“Before I left the house on this trip, my little one has learned the word ‘ice cream,’ and she made me make sure I promised her to get her ice cream when I get back home from the trip,” he continued.
“That being said, nothing — and I mean absolutely nothing — unsafe comes in between me, that little girl and her ice cream.”
The video was captured by Stacey Ray, the founder of Sisterhood Travels, an organization that empowers women to explore the world on their own terms.
Ray, a Delta Diamond Medallion member who has been traveling almost continuously since September, said that prior to the speech, the mood on the flight was tense.
“It’s night. It’s dark, the government’s shut down. All we’re hearing is there’s not enough air traffic controllers,” she tells TODAY.com. “People are wrecked.”
After the pilot spoke, however, the mood lifted.
“Everybody was clapping,” she says. “Everybody kind of took a deep breath, like, ‘OK, it’s all going to be good.’ It was really wonderful that the pilot said what he said and made everyone feel at ease.”
She adds, “Pilots do care, and even though things are kind of sticky right now, they’ve got our backs.”
The internet agreed. Some of the comments on the video include:
- “I went to high school with this guy omg😭😭😭 that’s so sweet of him! He’s literally dreamed of being a pilot his whole life, i would trust him in the air with my life! Good job Chris!”
- “Delta — give that man a raise for going the extra mile to keep his passengers at ease.”
- “This is peak professionalism. Being reassuring, relatable to a degree and personal. Nothing better either then to see crew presenting a united front. What a great thing to do for your passengers.” ❤️
TODAY.com contacted Delta to give credit to the man himself. We did not hear back by the time of publication.
But we sure hope he and his daughter shared a gigantic ice cream sundae after he landed!
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
- The Internet Can’t Get Enough of This Dad’s ‘Overly Professional’ Family Group Chat Texts
- Dad Gives His Family Vacation the Reality Show Treatment in Viral Video
- Pilot Surprises Vietnam War Veteran on Alaska Airlines Flight
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