Hungarian Granny, Sandwich, and Unexpected Act of Plane Kindness

It could have been just another typical Wizz Air flight. You know, one of those where you score a cheap ticket from Budapest to Athens only to realize that it would cost you an arm and a leg to sit next to your loved ones, to stow your carry-on in the overhead bin, or to get a minuscule snack. It could have been one of those travel experiences that start by quarreling with a meticulous gate agent about the oversized charge for an oversized carry-on bag, continue with yet another flight delay, and finish with you swearing that this is the last time you’ll squeeze yourself into the officially smallest legroom on the market.

All of the ingredients for the standard low-cost airline shenanigans were there. But something else stuck with me on this particular flight, September 16th, 2024.

Humanity trumping economy was applaudable, and I observed it from the first row

Connecting the capitals of Hungary and Greece, this Wizz Air flight W6 2441 was operated by Avion Express. It’s a two-decade-old company based in Lithuania that operates charters and leases aircraft and crews to airlines such as Wizz Air.

I don’t know if that circumstance had anything to do with this story. Still, this particular flight ended up having a very illustrative lesson on generosity, manifested through one young passenger and two young flight attendants.

Humanity trumping economy was applaudable, and I observed it from the first row! Well, technically, it was row number 26. But when the action happens in row 25, there are no better seats in the house.

Overhead bin diplomacy

I knew this flight crew was special the moment I boarded.

With hair neatly parted in the middle, and rocking a pair of big glasses, this particular flight attendant seemed strict but was clearly eager to help. She even offered to lift and store a woman’s suitcase. In times when cabin crews are not allowed to help passengers with lifting baggage, you don’t hear “I’ll do that for you, Madam” often, especially not on low-cost carriers.

I remind you that Wizz Air reserves overhead bin space for “priority” passengers, those who paid extra during their booking process. For the rest of us, the PA system repeatedly requested to stuff our bags under the seat in front of us. And Wizz Air passengers, as they are, mostly ignored this call, storing their belongings in the overheads as soon as they’d spot some empty space.

To accommodate paying customers lacking space, this flight attendant strolled down the aisle, asking about each unmarked piece of luggage: “Who is the owner of this bag?” Then she proceeded with politely asking to store it under the seat, “if there is space”.

Now, that’s a lot of additional physical and communication work, which can be quite exhausting. You could easily imagine a member of the staff who had to go through that sweat, retreating to the galley for some well-deserved eye-rolling, and a curse or two.

But once everyone was seated, and all the priority bags found their rightful home, this attendant decided to thank us. “For those of you who were so kind and considerate to put your bag under the seat, feel free to place it back in the overhead bin after takeoff. Thank you for your cooperation”, she said.

Unbuckling plane kindness

With low-cost airlines, even expectations are low, and usually, they are met. So this was definitely an unusual start to a flight.

But as if kindness is contagious (is it?), the next surprising moment would happen in row 25, where a young lady would perform a rather unexpected act of selflessness.

This hero of consideration was sitting in 25B, the dreaded middle seat. She hadn’t bought herself a privilege to sit by the window or stretch a leg in the aisle, for instance.

In the aisle seat 25C, adhering to seat roulette, was an older lady who looked like she could have been her grandma. But they were not related. The lady was sitting silently while separated from the rest of her real family, dismembered by Wizz Air’s profit-optimizing rules. Somewhat lost and confused, she didn’t look like a frequent flyer. The young neighbor in 25B offered her assistance, starting with showing how the seat belt worked.

When the snack cart rolled down the middle of the plane, it had the charm of an arriving ice cream truck, luring the wide-eyed kids to the street. Here, good-mood flight attendants practically sang what’s on offer. I never thought that the mundane sentence such as “Please be attentive of trolley, please be cautious” could be so melodic. Is that a famous song? Should it be?

Generosity heroine in row 25

The young woman from 25B bought a small package of Pringles (3,70 euros for 40 grams) and a small bottle of water (for 3,20). I reconstructed these prices from the menu, but I think she paid 12,99 for some reason. Anyway, I wasn’t peeking so attentively, and surely it’s not the most relevant detail for the story.

The older lady from 25C decided to opt for a sandwich. And some water. And Pringles, why not? The 25B noticed her confusion, respectfully whispering to flight attendants: “I don’t think she realizes she must pay”.

“You will have to pay, madam”, the crew member gently said.

“Yes, yes”, the madam nodded.

The actual POS machine appeared in front of the Hungarian granny, with the flight attendant demanding: “You need to pay, ma’am!”

When the old lady’s body language confirmed she didn’t understand the pay-to-play concept, the attendant said: “Then I have to take it.”

And poof, everything was gone in an instant. The sandwich, the water, and the Pringles too. All got wings.

A moment later, the 25B woman called the attendants back and, without hesitation, offered to pay for Granny’s food and drink.

“Are you sure?”, the attendant said, now with a twinkle in her eye.

The young woman nodded, swiped her card again, and the confiscated items returned to the tray table in front of the old lady.

The attendant explained: “She paid it for you.”

But the Hungarian granny was still confused, not understanding that it was even the moment to thank anyone.

There was no applause, award, or anything to mark this unexpected act of plane kindness that didn’t ask for or get anything in return.

I witnessed some unexpected generosity myself in Cambodia. Check out how much I paid for bananas in Kampong Chhnang!

Paying kindness forward

I can’t fault the old lady for her confusion. Even if there is a possibility she had flown before, surely she remembered the times when airlines didn’t try to squeeze every last penny from passengers’ pockets. In her flying days, maybe all that came with the trolley was free. One only had to pick between coffee or tea, ham or cheese sandwich, sweet or salty snack.

Helping a struggling stranger doesn’t require a lot. And sometimes, kindness is contagious, so it could even pay off

With low-cost airlines, we have reached new heights in aviation. Traveling became affordable for anyone stingy enough to survive hours without water, food, space, belongings, and other privileges that once came with the luxury of flying.

The altruism of passenger 25B was proving, right there, that helping a struggling person out doesn’t require a huge investment. Sure, she spent a few euros, and it didn’t bring back gratitude. But did it matter? It was a small sacrifice for someone who was lost in an alien environment.

Just a moment after the passenger’s selfless gesture, one of the flight attendants reappeared at row 25. As if kindness was contagious (is it?), she handed the middle-seat Samaritan a chocolate bar and an extra bottle of water. “This is a gift from the crew”, she said.

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