Southwest Airlines Goes the Extra Mile for Young Boy

You might think that airline employees are monochromatic subservients just following the company handbook.

You’d be wrong.

Virtually all airline workers go out of their way for their customers, as evidenced by this cute story from Southwest Airlines.
When a little boy left behind his beloved teddy bear on a Southwest Airlines flight over Thanksgiving, airline employees scoured the plane, the departure gate and, later, the lost and found in New Orleans.

They came up empty and apologized profusely to young Grayson and his mother, Chrissy Mulligan. But after Chrissy wrote about the missing bear on Facebook and got 21,000 shares after asking for help in locating the plush toy, something strange happened.

Her pleas made it back to Southwest Airlines’ corporate headquarters, which reached out to Chrissy and asked if Grayson would like a new teddy bear named Jack. When Mom said yes, an elaborate plan of action was put into place.

Did Southwest mail the new toy to Grayson?

Oh, no, no, no.

Before boarding his flight to Grayson’s home, Jack the Bear made a tour of Southwest’s aviation facilities and documented his adventures, and then chronicled his flight in a customized storybook for Grayson.

“Hi, Grayson!” Jack says in the picture book. “It’s been a busy holiday season here at Southwest Airlines, and I’m almost done with my work here. Guess what?! I get to come live with you! I’m so excited about meeting my new best friend. I wanted to share some pictures of what I do at Southwest, and my trip to meet you!”

Pictures like Jack cleaning the cabin, printing out a boarding pass, even directing the plane on the tarmac.

“Thank you, Southwest!” Chrissy wrote in a now-viral Facebook follow-up post. “You made this little boy who lost his Teddy… one very happy little guy today.”