ALB Gate 4: Easing a Passenger's Distress

What a warm, endearing read. Nice change from all the air rage incidents.

This reminded me of my experience. Leaving Amman, Jordan. In the duty free store I was chatting with travel companion - wanted to buy lots of the Valentino Oud perfume for gifts for family, but my pocket book limited me. An hour later at the gate a woman was speaking loudly, getting upset at attendant at gate. Her 80 year old mother was going 1st class to Dallas where she'll be met by her son. Mom only speaks and reads Arabic. Daughter wants someone assigned to assist Mom - especially at 4 hour layover in Frankfurt where there was also a change in terminals. I cautiously interrupted, said I was going to DFW via Frankfurt and offered to help her Mom. She offered to pay and I refused. She explained things to her Mom, I gave daughter all my contact info, and she then left. As we were almost boarding, she came back with 2 HUGE bags filled with every Valentino product sold in the duty free store. Seems like she had been in duty free store and he had heard me earlier, this was her thanks, and told me to share products with my family. The elderly woman was in 1st class, I was in economy. I knew how to say "Please, come on." since our guide had said it many times during the tour. When I bought her Mom brunch in Frankfurt, she was able to call daughter. Daughter was so grateful that I bought her Mom something to eat, showed location of bathroom, and was patient with Mom. Apparently, daughter called brother, told him story and - he had a limo waiting and took us home. Family and I have stayed in touch since 2014.

I needed this type of positive story; all of us do. Thanks.

That's such better than reading about the near daily occurrence of air rage.

Damn good story, with a marvellous sentiment in the concluding paragraph. It should be shared. Widely. PK

Just an edit point, it should be ABQ, not ALB. I read through trying to see how Albany played into the storyline.

This was a cool story...and poem.

Refreshing read.

This article made my day.

Nice story. I saw ALB and thought Albany. I think Albuquerque (glad I live near Albany, much easier to spell!) thanks auto-fil) is AbQ.

...'day made'...my sentiments exactly...well done!

Thank you for sharing. This was a great read.

Wonderful!

Great story!

There are so many of these happy and heartwarming events every day but they are rarely published. Thank you Mr. Bob Kamman for sharing this. This made my day.

The headline is incorrect. ALB is Albany, NY. The airport in the story is ABQ.

What a cool surprise to find this poem on this site.

It's not as exciting as being asked to fly the plane, but it's still a great story.

I am smiling, and it will be often when I see powdered sugar. I'm neither a pilot, nor engineer. I am a content writer and enjoy reading stories, especially human interest stories of value.

Perhaps. But, if nothing else, consider it a parable. I’m not sure there was really a Samaritan who came to a stranger’s aid going to Jericho but it’s a good teaching moment. Have you never been lost in a foreign land and relied on a stranger to help? From New York (which was quite foreign to a youngster from the West) to Saudi Arabia to the Far East, I have had to rely on the “kindness of strangers” in tough situations and was quite grateful for the help.

Very nice to read something like this.

but when it comes to air-travel, folks needs to learn how to not panic, especially if they do not fully understand what it is going on.

also - especially for things which are on a precise schedule - it is just a bad idea to use air travel without a buffer in scheduling. This was already very true before covid and cancellations - and it is certainly 10x more true today.

Nice article however a couple years from now in many European airports you will hear announcements in Arabic that will ask if somebody know the local language :)