FLYING THE EXTRA MILE
FOR PASSENGERS
Reagan National passenger Imani was
having a bad day. Since having a baby
girl two months prior, she had become
nervous about flying, and a comedy of
errors seemed to occur ahead of her trip
to Montego Bay, Jamaica for her best
friend’s wedding.
Imani boarded her Southwest Airlines
flight, but once they pushed back from
the gate and started taxiing, she became
too nervous to continue on. The aircraft
returned to the gate, and a tearful Imani
was escorted off the plane by the captain
and into the warm embrace of Southwest
Airlines Ground Operations Supervisor
Reecie Howard.
“I introduced myself and asked her
what was wrong,” Howard said. “She
explained all the things that had gone
wrong that day, coupled with the fact
that she was extremely nervous to fly.
She told me she didn’t think she could
make it to her best friend’s wedding —
and how disappointed her friend would
be. I told her, ‘No, we’re getting you to
Jamaica one way or another.’”
Howard helped book a flight the following
day and instructed Imani to go home,
give her daughter a good cuddle, and get
some sleep. Imani asked if she would fly
with her. “I told her I was willing to fly to
Orlando (where she was connecting onto
Jamaica) with her, if that’s what it took,”
Howard said.
After working until 12:30 am helping
other Southwest Airlines passengers and
ensuring that terminal operations went
smoothly, Howard woke up at 4 am the
next morning — her day off — to fly with
Imani to Orlando. “I thought she was going
to break the armrests off as we took off,
she was so afraid. I told her to keep talking
to me and talked her through the entire
process of taxi and take off. Once we were
in the sky, she was fine,” Howard recalled.
FLYWASHINGTON.COM 14 SUMMER 2019
Once they arrived in Orlando, Howard
helped Imani get situated on her next flight
and flew back to Reagan National. Imani
made it to her best friend’s wedding just in
time. The two have kept in touch since their
fateful flight, and Imani is even planning
an upcoming trip to New Orleans — via a
Southwest Airlines flight.
Howard, who has worked for Southwest
Airlines for five years and is now a flight
attendant for the airline, is no stranger to
going out of her way to ensure passengers
have a positive experience. She once
drove three hours one-way to deliver a
passenger’s delayed luggage. She is also
a Marine Corps veteran, retiring from the
service as a Master Gunnery Sergeant, the
highest enlisted rank in the Marines.
We extend a heartfelt thank you to
Howard and all Reagan National and Dulles
International airline partners who work
hard on a daily basis to ensure customers
have a safe, efficient, and enjoyable journey
through D.C.’s airports.