Grandmother of Orlando Victim Comforted By Entire JetBlue Flight At 30,000 Feet

It has been less than a week since Omar Mateen murdered 49 people and injured countless others at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando and the 24-hour news cycle has become, in a word, oppressive. There has been an enormous amount of bad press through which to slog and it’s enough to make anyone quit reading the news altogether.

But on a recent flight to the bereaved city of Orlando, something heartwarming actually made the news—an entire JetBlue flight rallied around the grandmother of 20-year-old Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, one of the victims of the attack.

JetBlue flight attendant Kelly Davis Karas wrote an emotional Facebook post on June 14th that has since gone viral, telling the story of how every single passenger did their best to comfort the grieving woman.

According to Karas, she and the other flight attendants did their best initially to make the woman comfortable—offering tissues, a pillow and blanket and ensuring that someone from the crew was near her at all times. Then, Karas decided to pass around a piece of paper to the rest of the passengers so they might offer condolences… and quickly discovered that people were writing entire paragraphs of support.

By the end of the 75-minute flight, Karas had amassed a stack of well-wishes for the woman, and “even a couple of cash donations.” When the flight landed, Karas asked for a moment of silence for the victims and said, “JetBlue stands with Orlando.”

And as if the whole situation isn’t tear-jerking enough, here’s where things get really heart-wrenching: Absolutely every single person on the flight stopped to offer the woman condolences. Every. Single. One.

In a show of humanity and patience that is unheard of in modern air travel, “not a single person was impatient at the slower deplaning process,” Karas wrote in her Facebook post. “Through our customers’ humanity today, and through the generosity of this wonderful company I am so grateful to work for, I am hopeful that someday soon we can rally together to make the world a safer place for all. I will never forget today. ‪#‎Orlandoproud.”

JetBlue is currently offering free flights to and from Orlando to immediate relatives and domestic partners of those killed or injured.