Air stewardess made passengers wait in their seats for minutes after landing — the crowd applauded her when they found out why
Every now and then, a few stories show that small acts keep compassion alive. On a recent Delta Air Lines flight, an air stewardess was praised for her simple decision, which initially confused the passengers. However, when they understood the reason behind it, all passengers applauded her. The incident was captured by a passenger on board and was posted on TikTok on January 4, 2026. Sarah (@sarahndipityxo), in her video, explained that the flight attendant made the entire flight stay in their seats upon landing, for the sake of a few passengers leaving for Milan. The clip, in which passengers were seen seated inside the aircraft after landing, unsure of why they had been asked to do so, garnered over 7.3 million views.
@sarahndipityxo @delta give our flight attendant a raise because she’s restored my faith in humanity #traveltiktok #delta #fyp #humanity ♬ original sound - Torosalazrr
According to Sarah, the flight attendant made an announcement shortly after landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport, requesting passengers to remain seated for a few extra minutes. At first, the request puzzled many people. However, moments later, it became clear that it was to allow a group of passengers with an extremely tight international connecting flight to catch their next flight on time. “You want to talk about miracles? Somehow our flight attendant was able to get our entire flight to stay in their seats upon landing so that these people could make their connecting flight, leaving for Milan in six minutes,” read the overlay text of the video. As the people onboard realized it, the moment of confusion turned into appreciation. “@delta, give our flight attendant a raise because she’s restored my faith in humanity,” wrote Sarah in the caption, praising the air stewardess.
Viewers also praised both the flight attendant and the passengers for their cooperation. “My flight attendant tried so hard to do this, but no one on my flight cared. Missed the connection by minutes. So, it makes me smile to see people actually be kind,” wrote @jenna_g_16. @mom_boss1010 commented, “Because this flight attendant knew how to take control! That’s awesome.” @dis_donohana said, “Yep, our pilot announced the seat numbers that needed to get to their connecting flight since ours was delayed. We all stayed seated.”
Airline crews are trained to prioritize safety; however, there are times when empathy takes the lead. In another story, a Philippine Airlines flight attendant was praised after she went beyond her duties to help a distressed mother mid-air. Patrisha Organo stepped in when she heard a baby crying and learned that the child’s mother had run out of formula milk. As a mother herself, the attendant immediately recognized the urgency of the situation and decided to breastfeed the baby. The baby soon calmed and fell asleep, while the mother expressed deep relief and gratitude. Organo later said the experience was emotionally overwhelming and shared her story to help "normalize breastfeeding."
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