A rare gesture of humanity and promptness prevented more than 30 passengers, most of whom were headed to the Lady Gaga concert, from being stranded in Atlanta past midnight. After missing their connecting flight to Rio de Janeiro due to a delay from Charlotte, North Carolina, a group of travelers reached the gate but the flight had already departed. There seemed to be nothing left to do until a small miracle occurred. An unaccompanied child, who had also missed his connecting flight, prompted Delta agents to contact the pilot. The latter didn’t think twice, turned around on the runway, and, against all practice, returned to the gate to let the child board–and with him dozens of other passengers. “It was a Delta miracle. Never seen anything like it!” wrote the user who told the story on Reddit. Thanks to that child, everyone was able to fly to Rio. As one passenger wrote: “That child alone helped over 30 people. And he took us all to the concert.”
Following this extraordinary event, the media contacted the airline for comment, which clarified:
“Delta has a special program for unaccompanied minors designed to ensure their safety while traveling. This program is mandatory for children ages 5 to 14 who are traveling alone. Enrolled children receive a personal escort to accompany them, a tracking bracelet, and assistance during all airport passages, including screening and boarding. The airline specifies that children should never be left alone at the gate and should sit near flight attendants during the flight. If the trip involves a stopover in another city, an airline employee (recognizable by the badge) will meet the child upon arrival and another person in charge will escort the child to the next flight at the appropriate time.” A procedure that, this time, made a difference for dozens of people.
