While some people can be pretty anxious about their first solo airplane flight, 16-year-old Ashley was particularly nervous.
Since the teen was born deaf, she was worried that her lack of hearing would prevent her from receiving any details about her recent flight from Baltimore, Maryland to Rochester, New York.
To make matters worse, she had a connecting flight from JFK International Airport, which can be an overwhelmingly busy airport for even the most experienced fliers.
“I [felt] nervous because … what if I miss my flight or I don’t know where to go if I transfer,” Ashley told WJLA through an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. “I mean JFK is such a big airport, so I didn’t know where to go.”
Thankfully, Ashley had a safe and successful flight—and thanks to a compassionate flight attendant, it was also a particularly memorable one.
Shortly after Ashley’s plane took off from Baltimore, her Delta airline flight attendant handed her a handwritten note which explained everything about the flight and safety information.
Ashley told reporters that she had never experienced such kindness before, and the note—which she now plans on keeping—meant the world to her.
Delta later responded to the story by praising their flight attendant for her communication and announcing their intentions to make airline travel for inclusive for deaf passengers.
Over the course of the next few months, airline staffers who can speak sign language will be encouraged to wear a badge that will identify them to other passengers.
“With this improvement, customers and qualified employees will immediately be able to visually recognize when they hold sign language as a common connection,” a Delta spokesperson told WJLA.
有些人對於第一次獨自搭飛機感到焦慮,而16歲的艾希莉更是感到特別緊張。
一出生便失聰,她擔心自己的聽力不足會阻礙她收聽有關她從馬里蘭州的巴爾的摩(Baltimore, Maryland)飛往紐約羅切斯特(Rochester, New York)的航班的任何詳細信息。
更糟糕的是,她從肯尼迪國際機場(JFK International Airport)轉機,即使是對於最有經驗的旅客來說,這也是一個非常繁忙的機場。
「我(感到)緊張,是因為……如果我錯過了航班,或者如果我轉機也不知道去哪裡怎麼辦,」艾希莉通過美國手語(ASL)口譯員告訴美國地區有線新聞電視頻道(WJLA)。 「我是說肯尼迪機場是一個如此大的機場,我不知道要去哪裡。」
值得慶幸的是,阿什利(Ashley)的飛行安全且成功,這要歸功於一位富有同情心的空姐,也是一個特別值得紀念的時刻。
艾希莉(Ashley)的飛機從巴爾的摩(Baltimore)起飛後不久,她的達美航空乘務員遞給她手寫的便條,其中解釋了有關飛行和安全信息的所有內容。
艾希莉(Ashley)對記者說,她以前從未接受過這樣的善意,而她現在打算保留的那張紙條,對她來說意義非凡。
達美航空隨後對這個故事作出了回應,稱讚了他們的空姐的溝通,並宣布了他們打算讓聾人乘客全程乘坐飛機的機會。
在接下來的幾個月中,將鼓勵會講手語的航空公司職員佩戴徽章,以將其標識給其他乘客。
達美航空發言人告訴美國地區有線新聞電視頻道(WJLA):「有了這一改進,客戶和合格的員工將能立即以視覺的方式辨別出空服員們是否能夠使用手語來溝通。」
My daughter who is Deaf took a flight by herself ! The attendant handed her this note on the plane ! Delta makes it amazing! @Delta pic.twitter.com/KQGVBq9uVC
— bostonober (@oberlynn13) July 6, 2019