I wanted to share a recent experience traveling with Southwest Airlines which made a special moment in life happen. I live in Phoenix, Arizona and have flown with Southwest for many years. On June 29, 2021, I received a call that my mother was admitted to hospice care in St. Petersburg, FL and was expected to pass within 24-hours. After contacting my brother who was working in South Carolina at the time, I went online and began to search for a flight to Florida the next day. I was able to find a flight from PHX to MCO which landed within one hour of his flight arriving. We were able to drive together from the airport in Orlando to St. Petersburg and see my mother. She passed away 4-hours later. I was able to see her because of Southwest Airlines. I booked a flight and traveled less than 24-hours of becoming aware that I needed to get to Florida. I used miles to get to MCO and paid for the regular fare to travel from TPA to PHX on July 1. The cost of the ticket did not break the bank. On my way back to PHX, I was a through passenger on a stop in FLL. The crew coming on board asked if there was anything I needed before the passengers began boarding. I shared that I was tired and hungry...Craving something sweet. My mother had just passed, and I all I wanted was to get back home to Phoenix. I took my seat. Within a few minutes there was back with a packet of brownie bite chips (they happen to be a favorite of mine) was passed to me by one of the flight attendants, along with a comment that we would be to Phoenix on-time. During the flight, the flight attendants stopped by to see how I was doing. Their compassion and concern over my wellbeing made a challenging day easier to manage. Thanks Southwest for having caring and attentive employees who have heart. Michael Hedden
... View more
