‘I’ll never forget the kindness’: Grieving passenger praises Delta flight attendant for touching gesture

A grieving passenger has praised a Delta flight attendant who went above and beyond during a difficult journey.

Jeff Harper was catching a Detroit-Idaho service in July to bid a final farewell to his sister, Julie, before she died of terminal cancer, reports the Detroit Free Press.

But while he was waiting at the airport gate he got a call to say it was too late, and she had already passed away.

Cabin crew member Alex Maysonet noticed that Mr Harper was visibly distressed during the flight.

After another passenger apprised her of the situation, Ms Maysonet decided she wanted to offer support without intruding on his grief.

She put together a care package with the help of the crew and included a note, which read: “We are so incredibly sorry for your loss.

“Please do not hesitate to ask for anything we can do for you on our flight.

“You and your family are in our prayers. Thank you for flying with us.”

The package was made up of what was available onboard: packs of almonds, dark chocolate cookies and tissues.

Mr Harper said he was “extremely touched” by the gesture.

“I had to immediately pull out a tissue because it was quite moving for me,” he told Fox 5, adding that he had held onto the care package.  

“The loss of my sister makes me very sentimental. I’ll never forget the kindness of the folks from Delta, especially the flight attendant.”

Ms Maysonet told reporters: “It makes me feel good knowing this made him feel better.

“The entire flight crew was willing to help gather items for the care package.

“It has always been important to me to make connections beyond just a ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ while we’re in flight.”