Pilot holds flight for man going to see dying grandson

[124Y]

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/01/14....html?iphonefb

(CNN) -- Time was running out, and Mark Dickinson wasn't sure whether he'd get to see his dying 2-year-old grandson one last time. A long line at Los Angeles International Airport's security checkpoint had kept him from getting to his gate on time.

His grandson Caden would be taken off life support in a matter of hours in Denver, Colorado, with or without his grandfather's presence, according to CNN affiliate KABC.

"I was kind of panicking because I was running late, and I really thought I wasn't going to make the flight," Dickinson told KABC.

That's when a pilot from Southwest Airlines stepped up and held the flight at the gate until Dickinson arrived. The pilot was standing by the jetway waiting for him when Dickinson arrived in socks, so rushed that he just grabbed his shoes at security and ran through the terminal.

"I told him, 'Thank you so much. I can't tell you how much I appreciated that.' And he said, 'No problem. They can't leave without me anyway,' " Dickinson told KABC.

Authorities say Dickinson's grandson, Caden Rodgers, suffered a head injury after his mother's boyfriend threw him across the room. The boyfriend reportedly told police he was drunk and high on marijuana at the time. The child later died and the boyfriend has been charged with first-degree murder, according to the Aurora Sentinel.

Dickinson's wife had called Southwest and asked them to hold the plane. After the flight, Dickinson said, he never got the chance to thank the pilot for his serious display of empathy. Dickinson made it to Colorado in time to say goodbye to his grandson.

"I would just tell him that I can't tell him how grateful I am that he did that for me," he said.

Most airlines would punish any staff member who holds up a flight, according to consumer advocate Christopher Elliott, who broke the story of the compassionate pilot on his blog. However, a Southwest spokeswoman said the pilot's actions were exemplary.

"You can't hold a plane for every late customer, but I think we would all agree that these were extenuating circumstances and the pilot absolutely made the right decision," Southwest spokeswoman Marilee McInnis said. "I don't think you could ask for a better example of great service for our customers."

Though the airline has identified the pilot who held the plane for Dickinson, the pilot has asked that his name not be released to the public.

"As you're reading the story, you absolutely get tears in your eyes and just an overwhelming sense of pride that our pilot took such an action," McInnis said. "It really makes you proud to work for Southwest."

[unit]

i dont smoke weed (often) but being high on marijuana has probably never made anyone do something violent. its the alcohol thats to blame.

on a side note, of course southwest is going to say it was the right thing to do.
once it appears on the news, they have to protect their image and try to win the public.

its just like when the chinese apple worker took a picture of his coworker while testing the iphone camera and shipped it without deleting the pic. the factory claimed that they thought it was a 'beautiful mistake' but my guess is that worker actually got fired.

anyway, its a nice story i guess.

[rJZx]

+1 for the alcohol... weed just makes you lazy

[drunkrussian]

Originally Posted by unit

i dont smoke weed (often) but being high on marijuana has probably never made anyone do something violent. its the alcohol thats to blame.

on a side note, of course southwest is going to say it was the right thing to do.
once it appears on the news, they have to protect their image and try to win the public.

its just like when the chinese apple worker took a picture of his coworker while testing the iphone camera and shipped it without deleting the pic. the factory claimed that they thought it was a 'beautiful mistake' but my guess is that worker actually got fired.

anyway, its a nice story i guess.

+1 when i get drunk and high at the same time, i throw up and pass out.

[MindBomber]

+1.. weed makes me sleepy

Alcohol has never made me violent, it only exaggerates your normal behaviors because your less inhibited. In my opinion the mother should be charged with man slaughter or criminal negligence for exposing her child to the conditions that allowed the murder to occur.

Great to here what the Southwest pilot did though, it's tough to take a stand for what you believe in when you risk your career by doing it, especially in the current economy.

[AzNightmare]

wtf.. threw a baby across the room... what a dick.

Props to the Pilot.

[Hondaracer]

if you have an important engagement, such as this or a test etc. you would think you would give yourself sufficient time to not be late..

[marc0lishuz]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

if you have an important engagement, such as this or a test etc. you would think you would give yourself sufficient time to not be late..

What if he just ran to the airport after hearing the tragic news and tried to get the first flight out? Extenuating circumstances, man.

Only the douchebag that threw that infant across the room is to blame here.

[Narayan]

2 year old kids are not fragile by any means... This douche bag would of had to thrown the child pretty fucken hard to cause death... I hope he gets what's coming for him.

[unit]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

if you have an important engagement, such as this or a test etc. you would think you would give yourself sufficient time to not be late..

true, but the whole story isnt known.
i doubt he was at home touching his dink

[fliptuner]

Canadian passengers will hold up a flight for a gold medal.

[Great68]

Originally Posted by unit

i dont smoke weed (often) but being high on marijuana has probably never made anyone do something violent. its the alcohol thats to blame.

There's still people out there that believe the reefer madness video.

[Volvo-brickster]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

if you have an important engagement, such as this or a test etc. you would think you would give yourself sufficient time to not be late..

With the TSA you can never be too early.

They will find a way to delay you regardless.

[quasi]

Originally Posted by Hondaracer

if you have an important engagement, such as this or a test etc. you would think you would give yourself sufficient time to not be late..

I'm guessing he was catching a plane last minute after getting news the boy wasn't going to make it and be taken off life support.

To the motherfucker who killed that boy I hope he gets raped daily in jail.

[goo3]

alcohol makes some ppl violent

[urrh]

it's very early and i first thought the pilot held the plane to spite the grandfather. after some reading, i'm glad to find out it was the other way around

[achiam]

They also hold planes for ultra frequent fliers. A friend's co-worker and work team had to fly Toronto-San Fran twice/week for a year, and Air Canada once held the plane 45 minutes for them.

[optiblue]

Awesome pilot!
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[twitchyzero]

i was under the assumption many airlines will wait for passengers that have already checked in to a certain point..correct me if i'm wrong.

[TheKingdom2000]

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

i was under the assumption many airlines will wait for passengers that have already checked in to a certain point..correct me if i'm wrong.

if they've checked in they'll wait. I was coming home from LA a few years back and we had to wait 20mins because this lady was late. Not sure why she was late though

[Selanne_200]

But to the best of my knowledge, for every minute that a flight is late, it costs the airline a great deal of money
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[suzuka84]

southwest is known for this type of stuff and westjet too. They allow their people to make decisions on the spot compared to the legacy carriers with their bibles of policies and procedures.

[tiger_handheld]

Originally Posted by suzuka84

southwest is known for this type of stuff and westjet too. They allow their people to make decisions on the spot compared to the legacy carriers with their bibles of policies and procedures.

thats probably why they are 2 of the most profitable low budget carriers . They also follow the same low cost strategy, of which employee empowerment is HUGE!

[JSALES]

good story, i wonder how much the airline was charged for not taking off in time.

[hal0g0dv2]

good story great pilot