You don’t typically expect your dreams to be realized on a flight home. Historically, airlines are known to be stressful — full of fees, lost baggage, late planes and unhappy fellow travelers. But recently, a Facebook post by a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant showed that once in a while, something extraordinary can happen even on the most mundane of flights. Here is the story of how Violet met Jack.
While waiting to be allowed on their plane for a flight home to the United Kingdom from New York, Jack struck up a conversation with Violet, who was sitting near him. Despite the age difference between the younger man and the 88-year-old woman, the two spent the time getting to know each other. In minutes, the two forged an unlikely friendship.
Unbeknownst to Violet, the time spent chatting meant the world to Jack. Once on the plane, Jack, who was traveling with his wife and children, left his first-class cabin to find Violet who was seated in economy. He asked her to switch seats with him, wanting her to have her dream of first class travel finally realized. Flight attendant Leah Amy shared the story on her Facebook page, where it quickly went viral.
Her dream has always been to sit at the front, and Jack made that come true,” wrote Leah, of Violet. “You should (have) seen her face, when I tucked her in her bed after supper ☺️.”
Violet enjoys her her first visit to first class. Photo by Leah Amy
The photos Leah shared included Violet’s selfie with the crew of the cabin, a picture of Jack and Violet, and a picture of Violet enjoying a meal in a comfortable first-class seat. Violet had been heading home after seeing her daughter in New York. “(Violet) has been a nurse in both the U.K. and over in America,” Leah explained, “(and) travels to New York to see her daughter.”
After the kind gesture, Leah said that Jack “then sat on the row of seats directly next to the economy toilets and never made a peep or asked for anything the rest of the flight. No fuss, no attention, literally did it out of the kindness of his own heart, no one asked him.”
Violet poses with the airplane staff. Photo by Leah Amy
Since the post went up, it has garnered more than 24,000 views, close to 2,000 comments and more than 5,000 shares. Reactions from others poured in:
- “Thanks for your heart of gold Jack. Such a wonderful story.”
- “Thank you, young man, for your kindness towards an older lady. I think you made her dream come true!”
- “We need more people in the world like Jack. Thank you for having such a selfless heart, Jack!
And when Violet told Leah that she didn’t have social media, a cell phone or email, Leah promised that her selfie would be sent to her by postal service.b“(Violet) said her daughter won’t believe her, and wanted a ‘selfie’ to prove it, but didn’t have a phone or an email address,” she added. “These photos are getting sent in the [mail] tomorrow, can you even cope ??❤️??”
