Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

Flying with kids can be challenging and on one of my flights back to Denver, my heart went out to the parents of two little boys under 5 years old. They were screaming the minute they entered the plane, (the boys, not the parents). I sprang into “mom mode” once we finished our service and the seat belt sign went off. I smiled and told the boys, “it’s time you earn your keep” and with the parents permission, wrapped aprons around their little waists, put gloves on their tiny hands, and armed them trash bags. (Child labor laws do not apply. Plus, they were compensated with snacks and a break)

They loved it and the screaming stopped.

Then yesterday, I received an email from Southwest. To my surprise, the passengers were even more grateful than the parents.

Comments from Our Valued Customer:

My daughter and I were on a flight from Charleston, SC back to Denver on Sunday, October 9, 2022. We sat close to the back of the plane and a family sat a couple rows behind us with 2 young boys- maybe about 2 and 4 years old. They started screaming shortly after takeoff and proceeded to scream for at least 30-45 minutes into the flight.

Nothing seemed to calm them down until a flight attendant named Rosemary Chamberlain had the brilliant idea to let them help her collect the trash. She had them put on gloves and aprons and they walked up and down the aisle with a trash bag gathering the trash. It worked so well to distract them and keep them busy. Never before have we seen a flight attendant get so involved with kids on a flight. Everyone around this family greatly appreciated her efforts and we thanked her personally when we got off the plane. She deserves some recognition for going above and beyond!!