When a Delta Air Lines Pilot Gave My Son With Autism an Amazing Gift

Clicking through the Internet a few months ago, I stumbled upon a story about a girl with autism and her family who were escorted off a United Airlines flight. I cringed. You see, we were planning a trip that would involve four separate flights with Jonah, my very anxious, getting-bigger-than-his-mommy autistic son. It had been a while since we had flown, and I was hopeful this time would be better than the last. But after reading the story of what would be my worst nightmare, I wondered if the tolerance of the flying public had finally snapped.

There was nothing we could do but hope for the best and plan for the worst. And plan, we did.

Our son has an obsession. The one topic he can never get enough of is Delta Air Lines. Now mind you, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s excited to get on an airplane. He just thinks that if you do so, it should be on Delta. For a few years now, he has been collecting anything that says Delta on it. Our wonderful friends and family always bring him whatever loot they can get off a flight, from wing pins to cookies and even napkins. A flight attendant friend once sent him a box of goodies that kept him happy for weeks.

So, of course, we booked our flights with Delta.

I need to stop this little tale for a second to tell you that having been a part of the special needs community for most of my life, I have observed a few things. And one of those things is this: There is a lot of entitlement that goes on in the hearts and minds of some of us.

Because my life has had this extraordinary challenge attached to it, I can have the belief, at times, that I deserve my fair share of special treatment. There is some truth in this because — I’m not gonna lie — we need a little extra help! But that doesn’t give us the right to be demanding or be ungrateful to those who must go the extra mile on our behalf.

So we planned. First, I planned out all the food and special treats Jonah would need over the course of those four flights. Nobody wants to sit next to a hungry kid. We also made sure there were toys, games and videos to help hold his interest.

Next, we turned our attention to those who would be serving us on the flights. We made a little note card and attached it to a candy bar and passed them out to the entire crew on every flight.

The response from this little act of appreciation was absolutely amazing!

I’m happy to tell you there are some amazing men and women jetting all over the skies, and when you take a moment to truly appreciate their service, they will go above and beyond the call of duty. Such was our experience.

We didn’t fly first class, but I felt like a celebrity on those flights. Each person working the flight took the time to find us and thank us for the goodies. They then proceeded to check on us on a regular basis to see if we needed anything. Each of them took a moment to acknowledge Jonah and bring him special stuff to make his flight more fun. On every flight, he was invited to the cockpit by the captain. And on the last leg of our journey, Captain Tim Garvin finally succeeded in getting Jonah to agree to visit the cockpit. You see, our kid was still a little nervous, but the kindness of the flight crew won him over.

Why am I sharing this story with you? Because I want to share with you that there are really wonderful strangers in the world, and when we treat them with kindness and appreciation, they will often respond in the most wonderful way.

A few weeks after we came home from our trip, the postman left a package on our doorstep. I wasn’t expecting anything so I opened it with great curiosity. In it, I found the most amazing gift for our son. Captain Garvin, who had already exceeded his duty in his kindness to Jonah, wasn’t done yet.

Inside the box was a real, honest-to-goodness Delta captain’s hat! The beaming joy that sprung to my son’s face was priceless.

So if you find that the world is not quite meeting your expectations when it comes to your child with special needs, try a different approach. Kindness and gratitude has given us much more than an entitled attitude ever has.

A very special thank you to the wonderful people of Delta Air Lines for their extraordinary service and understanding they showed to one little autistic boy who will forever be their biggest fan!

Follow this journey on rohndasue.com.