Thank you Delta.

[Rabscuttle]

We returned from WDW a little over a week ago. The plane was packed and seated behind us was a young soldier in an Afghanistan patterned fatigues. Before the plane took off the pilot walked to the back of the plane and said to the young man, "Thank you for your service. I would like to invite you to your new seat in first class". The soldier initially declined but those passengers seated near him applauded the offer and the pilot said, "Please, be my guest". After he was seated in first class and prior to take off the pilot announced his presence and the entire plane erupted in cheers and applause. It was a "feel good" moment.

 

[carrie1626]

Awesome!!

 

[JDUB]

 

[Pakey]

We had the same thing on an American flight coming home from Orlando. It was nice to witness it.

 

[winterman]

On our Delta flight from PWM to ATL, the captain made an announcement of the same nature and the flight attendent escorted the service man to first class. The passengers all start clapping and shouting "Thanks for your service". It was a very emotional moment.

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

Fantastic!

We fly a lot and almost exclusively on Delta, and have been fortunate to witness this on multiple occasions.

 

[DebbieB]

I've been on a couple of flights where soldiers were seated in coach but the F/A made an announcement to stay seated and let them get off first. When they came up the aisle everyone cheered.

 

[wdwrich]

I had a similar experience on United when I came home from deployment. It was very much appreciated after 8+ months in the sand box.

 

[Svhadden]

My mother has described to me many times how soldiers returning home from Viet Nam were treated (she was married to a Marine Viet Nam veteran), and it's absolutely disgusting. To hear of people going out of their way to show appreciation for our service men/women is refreshing indeed. WTG Delta!

 

[kksmom92]

My mother has described to me many times how soldiers returning home from Viet Nam were treated (she was married to a Marine Viet Nam veteran), and it's absolutely disgusting. To hear of people going out of their way to show appreciation for our service men/women is refreshing indeed. WTG Delta!

My Dad said the same thing when he came home from Vietnam. It's a shame people treated our soliders that way back then.

It makes me so to hear that the airlines are doing this for our men/women who come home. It makes me want to cry just reading about it. I know I would of been on the plane.

 

[JennSaint]

Thanks for sharing it gave me goosebumps!

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

What a great story! As a military brat myself, this makes me feel really proud for our country.

Thanks for sharing,
Heather

 

[NancyIL]

I've been on a couple of flights where soldiers were seated in coach but the F/A made an announcement to stay seated and let them get off first. When they came up the aisle everyone cheered.

That was my experience on an American flight from Dallas to Seattle in August. It brought tears to my eyes.

 

[Luv2Diz]

I salute Delta for this. We are a retired military family, so I'll be clapping louder than anyone if this happens on our upcoming Delta flight!

 

[gmeh1]

This is AWESOME!!! Thank you for sharing that story.
Everytime they salute the military personnel at Sea World (Shamu show), I get all teary, I had the same reaction to your story. Again, thank you.

 

[sparkyboy]

so glad to see that our armed forces men and women are finally being honored for their service--when my husband, brothers and BIL returned from Vietnam, they were treated very badly..thank you to all who have served so honorably.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

Thanks for posting this. Not only is it touching, but it makes me a little less angry with Delta for my recent flight changes!

 

[winterman]

I live in the Bangor, Maine area. Since 1990, there is a dedicated group of people that meet every outbound and inbound flight of military service men and women. Bangor is the closest large airport to Europe.

These troop greeters are there for every flight, day or night, snow or ice storms. Cell phones and snacks are provided for our service personnel. American flags are waving and the constant refrain is "Thank you for your service"

I am not a member of this dedicated troop greeters but I have been in the airport twice to witness this honoring of our service personnel. To witness the interactions of the military and the dedicated troop greeters is truely an emotional experience. It will bring tears to your eyes.

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Awesome! They definately deserve that!

 

[OKW Lover]

My mother has described to me many times how soldiers returning home from Viet Nam were treated (she was married to a Marine Viet Nam veteran), and it's absolutely disgusting. To hear of people going out of their way to show appreciation for our service men/women is refreshing indeed. WTG Delta!

so glad to see that our armed forces men and women are finally being honored for their service--when my husband, brothers and BIL returned from Vietnam, they were treated very badly..thank you to all who have served so honorably.

Its exactly that treatment that makes me happy to see how we have changed. Something I applaud. When I returned I almost felt ashamed - I don't want these guys feeling that way.