Virgin Atlantic is upgrading the oldest passenger on every flight, thanks to one man’s act of kindness

Every once in a while, a small act of kindness grows into a tidal wave of love.

On Dec. 10,  a man named Jack was scheduled to fly first class on Virgin Atlantic airlines to New York from London. While at the airport, Jack and his family got to know a retired nurse named Violet. She was also traveling to New York for a long-overdue visit to her daughter. The two struck up some casual conversation and Jack found out the 88-year old woman hadn’t seen her daughter in a while because she’d undergone knee replacement surgery.

Eventually, their flight boarded. Jack and his family had business-class tickets and Violet headed to her economy seat. However, Jack wanted Violet to enjoy the long flight in comfort. So, he went to the back of the plane and offered to exchange seats with her.

Jack’s generous gesture was shared by Virgin Atlantic flight attendant Leah Amy on Facebook. Amy called Jack and Violet her “two favorite passengers ever” in the post and shared some fantastic pictures of the pair.

The entire flight attendant crew catered to Violet and got some pictures with her. The newly crowned VIP was treated to a lovely meal, which she clearly enjoyed, based on Amy’s photos.

Meanwhile, Amy wrote that Jack took Violet’s seat closest to the economy toilets and “never made a peep or asked for anything the rest of the flight. No fuss, no attention, literally did it out of the kindness of his own heart, no one asked him too.”

Violet, meanwhile, got to kick back and relax!

The Facebook photos quickly went viral and got worldwide news coverage. Jack’s act of kindness also caught the attention of Virgin Atlantic founder Richard Branson and the airline’s management, who decided to keep the generosity going through the holiday season.

In a Twitter post on Christmas Eve, Virgin Atlantic announced it would offer a free upgrade to the “most seasoned” (aka oldest) customer onboard every one of its flights through Jan. 1, 2020.

The story of Jack and Violet is the perfect reminder during this special season about the joy of giving.