Dear Southwest Airlines:
On the evening of March 18, I arrived at the Tampa airport with my 3-year-old son just as I received a text message that our 6:40pm flight to New Orleans was being pushed back to 8pm (a full hour past his bedtime); we had just gotten through security when I got a text that flight 1601 was delayed until 9pm. My son and I killed some time walking laps through Terminal C, then I decided to head to Gate 34/35 to speak with the CSA, Luis, in order to find out what the delay was, whether the crew might time out, etc.
Luis informed us that the plane needed a part that was expected to arrive at 7pm and that work would continue until weather conditions deteriorated, at approximately 7:30pm. He explained that the ground crews could not work with lightning in the area and would work expeditiously. Furthermore, he offered to let me leave all of my luggage behind the podium so that I did not continue to have to drag a hungry, tired boy and 50 lbs of luggage with me. He made dinner recommendations and told us to stay close in case the delay decreased.
Luis did not know that earlier in the day I had said goodbye to my grandfather for the last time, that I had packed for three days and stayed for nine, that this stretch of time was my son's longest away from his father. He did not know that I was very anxious about being in an airport with atrociously poor mask wearing. He saw an exhausted human and offered her refuge.
After my son and I had dinner, we sat on the floor behind the gate counter and watched the rain move in and the crews work hard and the trucks move; in between narrating the scene for my son, I listened to Luis speak to customers, one after the other, in the same kind and patient tone, no matter how (un)kind or (im)patient the customer was. He communicated regularly over the speaker to keep us all updated. While he certainly did not have control over the situation, the situation remained controlled due to his empathetic demeanor.
In short, Luis was a shelter in our storm, and I am grateful to have received such grace. Thank you, Luis!
