We had a horrendous experience flying that took years off of our lives. When I look back, I am honestly surprised that our marriage survived it. Yes, it really was that bad.

There is no shortage of thanks for this gut-wrenching memory due to the airline we used. An overwhelming majority of every horrible thing we experienced that day is directly related to broken promises, misinformation and out-right lies by the representatives I spoke with ahead of time and on our travel day.

I prefer not to name the airline, but I will say I will go out of my way to fly with JetBlue for our next go-round.  Other airlines please take note.

I absolutely love this post about what JetBlue is doing for their passengers.  Please enjoy some excerpts from this letter below or click on the links below to go directly to this site to read the letter in full.

From The Matador Network by Cathy Brown:

In the past, we have flown other airlines. It has not gone well. As my son was literally banging his head on the wall in the boarding area, I once had the gate agent question why I was asking for early boarding for a child clearly over 5. When I explained that the constant boarding announcements and large crowd were extremely difficult for us, she allowed me to board early, but finished our interaction saying, “Just this once,” as if I were getting away with something.

(Incidentally, this occurred after I had already called the airline a week before to request this special service. After being put on hold and then transferred, I was told to just speak to the gate agent and it wouldn’t be a problem.)
Unfortunately, this has been the case with every airline we have flown… except with JetBlue.

Oh yes… How much I understand.

I was immediately impressed that the JetBlue online booking system allowed me to include information about his special needs when I booked his ticket.

So simple. No expectation of calling and being put on hold. No extra requirements. No having to educate a phone representative about high functioning autism and sensory issues. Nope, I just checked a box and included a few comments.

Eureka! Can this actually be true?

We boarded the plane before anyone else, and had my son’s headphones on before the noise and craziness of boarding the plane began.

Personal responsibility, clearly prepared, kudos to you, Momma.

Throughout the flight, your attendants also went out of their way to be understanding and kind. It was obvious they had been made aware of the information in our reservation, and they were so gracious in ensuring my son was comfortable.

Wait? You mean this level of service and compassion continued after boarding? They kept their promises?

So, thank you. Thank you from an already overwhelmed, tired, fighting-for-her-son-every-day-of-her-life momma. Thank you on behalf of an 11-year-old boy who struggles to cope in a world that just doesn’t understand or easily accommodate him.

Thank you, tired Momma, for using some of your precious time to write this letter to Jet Blue and share it with the rest of us! This tired Momma is most grateful.