Justice

The Important Reason This Woman's Facebook Post to an Airline Is Going Viral

January 15th 2016

Shelley Baudoux is gaining attention online after her Facebook post about Jetstar Australia's special accommodations for her son with autism went viral.

In a Facebook post on Jetstar Australia's page, Baudoux thanked the airline for being very considerate and patient when her son didn't want to get on the plane going from Melbourne to Launceston, Australia. Baudoux, who was traveling with her son and daughter to see their grandfather, wrote that the airline workers were very helpful in trying to board her resistant son, adding that "a ground control man named Glen even came and spoke to my son and offered to let him wear his jacket to try and coax him onto the plane." Even so, the boy still didn't feel comfortable getting on the plane, which ultimately had to leave without them. Luckily, the staff was able to move her and her family to the next available flight.

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"I assumed I had lost my tickets and all was lost but the hostess said she [would] switch us to the next available flight and seat us up the front," Badoux wrote. "Again the staff went above and beyond to try and help get him on the plane. They didn't rush us, gave us plenty of time to talk him through it and were there every step of the way for me, my daughter and my son."

 


When her son was too distressed to get on the second plane, the pilot came out and offered the boy a seat in the cockpit.

"I was totally blown away with their understanding, help and encouragement," Baudoux wrote. "At no time whatsoever did I feel like I was holding anyone up."

She also gave a special shout out to a female airline worker who went above and beyond for them. When it seemed that all was lost and that they would have to cancel the trip, Baudoux wrote that she could feel her heart breaking as she told her daughter that they wouldn't be flying to see her grandfather after all, but the female airline worker offered to take Baudoux's daughter on a flight herself.

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"I wish I knew her name, she felt my pain," Baudoux wrote. "[T]hat hostess, she stayed with us the whole time. She offered to take my daughter to [Launceston] herself but that wasn't an option. [S]he came and took our boarding passes and assured us that we would get a full refund ... And then she went and bought a lemonade for my son (his favorite). I was so overwhelmed and grateful for such understanding staff to help me during a gut wrenching, exhausting mind crushing experience."

Badoux's post has received nearly 30,000 likes on Facebook and many have sent words of encouragement her way:

Jetstar's accommodations for autistic passengerJetstar Australia Facebook - facebook.com

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Jetstar Australia thanked Baudoux for her feedback and promised to inform the Melbourne workers of her post, according to MailOnline Travel.

"We work really hard to offer excellent customer service at every interaction, and it's very rewarding for our team to be acknowledged by our customers to let them know what they're getting right," Jetstar Australia wrote. "I can assure you that I've already passed on your kind words to our team at Melbourne airport and their managers. I know they'll appreciate you contacting us. I hope that you can get to [Launceston] to visit your family and we look [forward] to welcoming you all on board soon."

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