Flying for the first time is a different experience for different people. While people might tell tales of their first flight experience differently, the incredibility of it remains a commonality in all of the individual narrations.
The feeling of taking your first flight can be likened to being on a fast elevator. During takeoff, you will feel gravity at work, resulting in a fussy or drowsy feeling that might last for a few minutes until the plane stabilizes. The experience of landing for the first time is also memorable, as it might provoke a range of emotions, from fear and angst to overwhelming joy.
While adults can communicate these feelings, first-time infant flyers cannot speak, so naturally, most babies will cry, be fussy, or be restless to show their discomfort at the new experience. For parents, flying with a baby is usually an overwhelming experience. Parents of first-time infant flyers meditate on how their babies will react to flying and how this reaction will affect other passengers.
Fortunately, countless tips are available online and from the airline to help parents prepare their infants for their first flight. But even at that, no tip is enough to prepare parents for the reality of things. Oftentimes, flight attendants step in to help parents soothe their fussy kids. They usually offer a toy or a colorful object to help with the baby’s visual stimulation and ease their discomfort or advise the parent to take the baby on a walk.
But in a TikTok video posted by a mom, Jessica Nelson, onboard a Southwest Airlines flight on August 7, 2022, a flight attendant took it upon herself to help Nelson soothe her crying baby, Oakland, who was on his first flight.
Flying with an infant for the first time can be challenging for moms, and a Southwest Airlines flight attendant understood just how much of a challenge it could be. She helped a mom calm her fussy baby on a flight. A TikTok video posted by Nelson showed the flight attendant carrying Oakland, rubbing his back, talking to him, and walking him up and down the aisle. The flight attendant’s method of soothing Oakland worked perfectly as the fussy baby became calm.
“To the flight attendant who gave my screaming baby a plane tour, thank you ,” Nelson wrote in the video.
Further into the video, she wrote, “Southwest, she deserves a raise ❤️.”
In the video’s caption, Nelson continued eulogizing the flight attendant, referring to her as an angel.
“On flight 2890 yesterday this angel saved me on my baby’s first plane ride @robloxsouthwestair #southwestairlines #southwestair #nashville #flyingwithababy,” she wrote.
The video immediately went viral on TikTok, garnering over 5 million views, over 800,000 likes, and thousands of comments supporting the video.
“I don’t have kids yet & this makes my heart so happy. We need more people like her. ,” one user commented.
“A good human, wow what a concept. Thank you flight attendant ,” another wrote.
“My two year old and I are flying southwest tomorrow for his first flight. This makes my nerves feel better,” a mom commented.
“ I needed to see this today. taking my toddler on her first flight next week and I’m so worried. I don’t want people to hate me if she cries at all,” another mom commented.
@jessicawindsorr On flight 2890 yesterday this angel saved me on my baby’s first plane ride @robloxsouthwestair #southwestairlines #southwestair #nashville #flyingwithababy ♬ original sound – Jess