An airplane passenger’s act of kindness on a flight has captured hearts after a woman from Texas thanked the stranger in a viral TikTok post.
“I didn’t think the video would blow up like this,” Hailey, 31, told Newsweek. “I just hoped maybe the woman who helped was wondering if I made it. That’s why I posted.”
Hailey, who didn’t give her surname, was flying from San Antonio, Texas, to Moses Lake, Washington, on May 1 when she received devastating news: her grandfather had been placed on comfort care. She had booked her flight only hours earlier in a desperate attempt to reach him in time.
As her connection in Denver approached, it became clear she didn’t have long to reach her next flight—just 25 minutes to make it across the airport to the gate.
In a video posted to TikTok earlier this week, Hailey recounted what happened next. Seated in 31A on a United Airlines flight, she recalled how the airline crew asked passengers to allow those with tight connections to deplane first. “I was the person that raised my hand,” she said in the video. But when the plane came to land, she admitted “nobody was getting out of the way.”
That’s when the woman next to her, in seat 31B, turned and asked what was wrong. After Hailey briefly explained her situation, the stranger stood up in the aisle and loudly asked fellow passengers to make room so Hailey could disembark quickly. “You didn’t owe me anything,” Hailey said in the video, “but you stepped out into the aisle and you announced very loudly to everybody to please step aside.”
Thanks to the stranger’s help, Hailey made her connecting flight. She was able to be with her grandfather that night and again the following day. “I got to tell my grandfather how much I loved him,” she shared, visibly emotional. “And he got to tell me back. He understood what I was saying. And when he made his way to be with the Lord today, I was there. And it was because you made that happen.”
Hailey didn’t know the woman’s name when she posted the video, but within 24 hours, social media had connected the two. She learned the woman was named Katie—and that she’s a hospice nurse.
Once she found out Katie’s profession, the moment took on even deeper meaning. “This week is Nurse’s Week, and I hope people take time to appreciate not only Katie, but all hospice nurses. They do so much for families in their hardest moments.”
Hailey also expressed gratitude for the staff at Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake, who cared for her grandfather, who she described as “a husband of 62 years, a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, friend, and mentor.” A veteran of the U.S. Army and a lifelong farmer, he was known for his work ethic, love of travel, and deep involvement in his community. “The world would be better with more people like him in it,” Hailey said.
The video quickly gained attention on TikTok with more than 9 million views. Hailey said she is overwhelmed by the attention the story has received. “This has been the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced. I’m both grieving the loss of my grandfather and going viral at the same time,” she said. “I don’t know what this will lead to, but my goal was only to say thank you to Katie.”
She also said that she hopes the story will inspire people to act with empathy, especially in situations as ordinary as getting off a plane. “You never know why someone is traveling,” she said. “It’s not always for a happy reason. Think twice when the flight crew asks you to stay seated.”
Newsweek reached out to United Airlines for comment via email outside of working hours.
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