See The Crazy Way A Pilot Saved A Passengers Smartphone

Before taxiing out to the runway, a pilot worked with ramp agents on the ground to grab a lost passenger's phone while he was still in the cockpit, the good samaritan move was captured on video.

By Jennifer Hollohan | Published

Traveling is stressful. But what makes it even more stressful is forgetting something crucial, like your phone. A Southwest Airlines pilot recently made news headlines for helping one customer avoid this fate.

A passenger flying out of Long Beach Airport in Los Angeles recently forgot their phone. Unfortunately, they did not forget it at home. Instead, the unlucky passenger left it in the gate area before boarding.

Thankfully, a separate passenger had chatted with the phone’s owner before take-off. And that good samaritan immediately notified Southwest Airlines personnel after finding the phone. Alas, they did not discover the phone in time.

The phone’s owner was on a flight that had already started to depart. But since the plane had only pushed back, staff felt they could still return the phone. They alerted the Southwest Airlines pilot and tried to return the phone. 

According to CNN, a spokesman for Southwest Airlines, Chris Perry, provided a clear account. Perry said, “The captain immediately suggested that the ramp agents on the ground try to jump the phone up to him so he could return it to the customer. The rest was captured on video!”

As you can see in the video above, it took a couple of tries. The Southwest Airlines pilot reached as far out of the cockpit window as possible, trying to retrieve the phone. After one personnel member could not jump high enough, another one stepped in.

That second staff member finally managed to hand the phone to the Southwest Airlines pilot. And the flight’s crew returned it to the owner, which was probably very welcome news. CNN tried to learn the identity of the phone’s owner but has yet to do so.

Southwest Airlines shared this heartwarming video of one of its pilots on November 13 via Twitter. The company was proud of the extraordinary steps the crew took. After all, customer service is the backbone of every airline.

But there is a special significance to the day a Southwest Airlines pilot became famous. “The video was posted on World Kindness Day, an international holiday formed to promote kindness throughout the world, alongside a message using the hashtag #WorldKindnessDay. It’s unclear when the footage was taken.”

It was a wonderful way to celebrate World Kindness Day. After all, we can all use a little extra kindness in our lives. It is especially welcome these days with the stress and strife surrounding us. 

This international holiday arrived on the world stage in 1988. A coalition of kindness NGOs from around the world, known as the World Kindness Movement, came together to establish the unique day. The goal is to make random acts of kindness the norm. 

And while you may not have heard the news about this special day in time to participate this year, there is always next year. So mark your calendar for November 13, 2023, and get ready to join the Southwest Airlines pilot in celebration. Spread random acts of kindness, large and small, everywhere.