Flying can be tough for those on the autism spectrum. But what one Delta flight attendant did for a young passenger made him feel “like a first class passenger.”
Christine Bush shared a post on Facebook praising Delta for a recent situation where a Delta flight attendant named Natalie “went above and beyond the call of duty” to help Bush’s son, Henry, feel special.
Bush said crowds and noise can be overwhelming for her son so they always preboard. When they were seated on the plane for a late-April flight out of Minneapolis, Natalie came over to introduce herself.
“The kiddo immediately took a shine to her and started asking all sorts of questions about the plane,” Bush wrote. “Natalie went out of her way to bring over demo oxygen masks and life jackets for Henry to look at. She surprised him with a chocolate bar and extra cookies. She listened as he talked about being on the spectrum and about how loud noises bothered him.”
And Natalie didn’t stop there. After finding out Henry’s birthday was the previous week, Natalie and the other flight attendants made a birthday crown out of cookie packages to wish him a happy birthday.
“She arranged for the pilot to come over the intercom and give a special welcome to Henry and thank him for his help during the flight,” Bush wrote. “She was a friend to a little boy who doesn’t always feel like he has too many of those.”
Bush also said that when their flight landed, the pilot presented Henry with special golden wings and let Henry try on his hat. The crew then got together for pictures.
After the flight, Henry said he would never forget his best friend Natalie. “You can’t get much better than that,” Bush wrote.
