When young Broadway actress Mikayla Renfrow’s Delta Air Lines flight to New York from Europe was delayed, the casting director of Aladdin texted her not to worry. They’d find someone else to fill her spot in the ensemble for that night. But four hours into the flight, she got another text. Renfrow is also the understudy for actress Sonja Bolsara in the lead role of Jasmine, and Bolsara had taken ill. Could Renfrow get to the theater on time for the 7 p.m. curtain? The flight’s ETA at JFK was 5 pm.
Renfrow explained the situation to a flight attendant (so far, only identified as “Leisha”), desperately hoping for a seat nearer the front of the plane for a hasty exit. What she got was a lot more than that.
When Leisha notified the flight crew of the situation, the pilots first arranged for a gate closer to Customs, then asked if Renfrow was aware of Blade’s helicopter service from JFK to Manhattan. “I’m a normal person,” she told Playbill magazine. “I have no idea what that is. I was shocked that they cared.” The Delta crew booked her for the seven-minute ride to Manhattan—price $175, which the Aladdin casting director gladly paid. Perhaps the bargain of a lifetime for the Broadway hopeful.
For the rest of the flight, Renfrow tried to relax and rest up for her opportunity. The captain came back for a visit, cheering her on with her adventure. After landing (one can likely assume there was some throttle-bending and negotiations with ATC from the seats up front), Delta staff members whisked the young actress through Customs and into a car to take her to her Blade flight. Just like in … a Broadway show, she arrived at the stage door of the New Amsterdam Theater 30 minutes before curtain, not a minute to spare for getting into costume and makeup.
After the drama just to get her there, performing on stage might have felt like an anticlimax. But Renfrow told Playbill, “There were a lot of moments during that show where I was [thinking], ‘I’m going to open my mouth and hope the right thing comes out.”
After the final curtain, she was surprised to see Leisha, still in uniform, waiting to congratulate her on her performance. The theater had comped her a ticket. “It was just special moment after special moment after special moment,” Renfrow said.
No words. 🙂
We interrupt your normal feed of disasters of bad news with a headline: “There are many good people on the planet than bad!”
I do have serious doubdts in that assertion, Mr. Bob Lamond Jr.
Great job by a knowledgeable crew. So nice to read.
Professional courtesies extend far beyond the boundaries we set. This is a perfect example of the aviation community’s ethos!
Great job thanks to this Delta crew. Allow me to share some anecdotes on when the service was sub par to say the least, not saying this behavior is exclusive to Delta crew.
Once my ex girlfriend was operating a Delta mainline flight. Upon arriving to the gate, as people started to de plane, and an elderly passenger started having symptoms of a heart attack. She and the other FAs did their job to help but the flight crew took a hard look at this passenger on the floor, through the empty aisle and just walked away, bags and all. Flight is over as far as they were concerned. Yes they were told about the passenger from the lead FA. They left anyway. This was a few years ago and nothing was done about it. The passenger lived.
Some other unprofessional behavior I’ve personally witnessed, not just by Delta but as an industry as a whole and thankfully on rare occasion, is not assisting passengers with wheelchairs. I’ve (in uniform) had to act on behalf of the absent flight crew to source wheelchairs for these folks. Yup, that means walking up the jet bridge to get the gate agent to call Prospect or whichever company to get the wheelchair drivers. The flight attendants don’t appreciate being left hanging. I don’t know if its different there but at my company we as pilots do the coordination for those services.
One captain I’ve flown with has a couple times pushed passengers himself with a wheelchair so they don’t miss their connections, and on one occasion, both of us did together. Kudos to this flight crew and all others out there for doing the best they can, and going unrecognized for their integrity.
This is a great story and I’ll be smiling all day. Delta and crew really stepped up-Good for them!
What a great and heart-warming story! Major kudos to all involved. If only it weren’t so notable …
What a great story. Kudos to the Delta crew and staff🙂
Uplifting! Good morning all.