Flying can be intimidating at the best of times, and it can prove absolutely frustrating for parents and children dealing with autism. In these situations, compassion and care are always appreciated, and this was certainly the case for the mother in the following report.
Shelley Baudoux took to Australian airline Jetstar’s Facebook page this week to sincerely thank its staff for their treatment of her family recently, ahead of a planned trip.
As Shelley explained in the post, she was travelling to visit her father, and she was joined by her nine-year-old daughter as well as her 10-year-old son, Corey, who has autism.
Intimidated by the airport and planned flight experience, Corey refused to budge when it came time to board the plane, and airline staff went above and beyond to help Shelley and her son out.
“Two dark-haired hostesses were very helpful, trying to help me, and a ground control man named Glen even came and spoke to my son and offered to let him wear his jacket to try and coax him onto the plane,” she recalled.
Dear Jetstar....I wanted to express my utmost appreciation and gratitude to your Melbourne staff I dealt with...
Posted by Shelley Baudoux on Tuesday, 12 January 2016
When their attempts to board failed, Shelley was convinced that she had lost her tickets - but was overwhelmed and grateful when staff informed her they would book her family in for the next available flight.
During their next attempt to make the journey, Shelley and her family were met with the same compassion and care from the Jetstar staff, with the pilot even promising Corey a tour of the plane’s cockpit at the other side.
Unfortunately, the trip wasn’t to be, and even though Shelley’s heart was heavy as she left the airport with her children, she was comforted by the amazing service she had received there.
“I was so overwhelmed and grateful for such understanding staff to help me during a gut-wrenching, exhausting, mind-crushing experience. I just wanted to say thank you,” Shelley added.
Shelley’s report on her customer service experience has received quite a few thumbs-up on Facebook – over 27,000 to be exact.
This story just goes to show that a little patience and understanding really does go a long way.
