#FlyWashington Magazine Summer 2019 | Page 16

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.