This is the good news story from a flight you need today. An older couple lost a passport between the time they checked in for their Delta flight from Atlanta to Cape Town, South Africa and the time the flight was about to depart. Crew and nearby passengers on Delta 210 helped them search for it on board, but they couldn’t find it.
The couple deplaned the Airbus A350 and their bags were pulled off the aircraft. They were going to miss their special five week long cruise. Everyone around them said they took it with class.
The sweetest couple ever this elderly couple was on our plane Going to Cape Town and they had like a five-week thing planned with the crews and all these things but somewhere between checking in at the gate and getting on the plane and they lost their passport, like couldn’t find it anywhere, looked everywhere in their bags, in their stuff, asked everyone to look.
So our plane has been waiting to try to help find it….I feel like we’re all emotionally invested in this couple, but they couldn’t find it.
But after they were off the plane, a flight attendant kept looking – and finally found it. Video catches the crewmember’s excitement and a call to “open the door”.
The plane already started its departure! But the jetbridge was reconnected, the door to the aircraft opened, and staff went looking for the couple to bring them back on! The couple reboarded – to loud cheers. The captain who “stopped the plane” for them? It was the last trip of his career for Delta.
I think the plane is going to absolutely go nuts because this couple were all rooting for them. So now we’re trying to find where they went. because they deboarded, got their stuff, and now we’re trying to track them down so they can get back on the plane. But when they get back on the plane, y’all I’m telling you, it’s gonna get crazy.
I’d also like to note that when they couldn’t find their passport and they had to deboard the plane, they were so gracious and so kind and so sweet. And everyone around this area that was hearing them was like heartbroken because They had all of these amazing things planned for the next like five weeks and to see them have to leave the plane was really sad. So the fact that this flight attendant on Delta, a hero, found this passport is so awesome. So good. I love Delta.
Commenters online are overwhelmingly positive toward Delta and the crew here – even though it meant delaying the flight. I suspect that few passengers were connecting beyond Cape Town, and relative to the length of the flight any delay wasn’t going to be that long. A few comments though seemed to resent the perspective from business class.
- Praise: “Delta difference,” “human‑centered leadership,” “make this your next commercial.”
- Fairness/equity: “Would they have done this for coach?” “It’s easier to be patient if you’re in Delta One.”
A dark‑blue U.S. passport can blend into Delta’s cabin palette. They fall into seat cracks and between sidewall panels. Don’t leave them loose!
Fortunately, Delta had duty time to spare on this flight. Every crewmember would have been starting fresh and the crew is augmented for a flight this distance. The cost to wait for the passenger wasn’t great, both for the airlines and other customers, and it helped this couple make the journey of a lifetime. D0 isn’t always what’s important.
By the by, here’s the pilot of a Delta flight returning to the gate to help late-arriving passengers off of a connecting flight that were heading to a funeral. They even sent a plane to rescue students that were stranded by American Airlines and another plane to rescue a school trip stranded by Frontier.
Here a Delta flight attendant retrieved a customer’s passport – and delivered it to them in San Juan to save their honeymoon. That’s caring for people on life’s journey as a different airline likes to say!
Thank you Delta!
“Stops Pushback, Brings Them Back”… woah, so it IS possible. Huh. Good news, unless you were delayed by this ‘good news.’ Yeah, “Would they have done this for coach?” No freaking way. Byeee.
Meanwhile I left a passport and pair of Bose headphones in the little cubbyhole under the screen in 1J of an older United 777 aircraft never to be seen again… While certainly my fault, and not necessarily expecting anonymous headphones to make it back, the passport is a pretty easy item to return.
Extra ironic as mere hours before I had found someone else’s passport at international arrivals bag claim and returned it to customs. No karma that day!
Yes, this is a good news story. But this aircraft is going to an International destination where it will sit for at least two hours, probably more like three hours, before a new crew comes onboard and takes the a/c back to ATL. In other words, a 20-30 minute delay (most of which might be made up in flight) is possible. If this had been an A321 going to TPA with a 50 minute turn not sure of the same outcome.
That was a really uplifting story. Brightened my day. Thanks!
The Delta Difference
@L737 — Where’s @Matt… or does he only “please consider” when it’s ‘ironic.’ Keep Climbing for 100 more years! Oh, how was the First Class?! Extra Biscoff??
Nice story. So well done by the FA who found it. Was wondering how they passed the gate door without a passport – it was very unlikely to be anywhere but the jetbridge and aircraft.