A kind-hearted young British man has truly channelled the giving spirit of the season after he gave up his First Class seat for an elderly woman.
Jack met Violet in a New York airport earlier this month and the pair instantly hit it off, proving age is no barrier to forging friendships across generations.
88-year-old retired nurse Violet, from New York, had been travelling to the UK to visit her daughter while Jack had been heading back home to London after a family holiday in the Big Apple. And their bond has since moved people from all over the world.
Violet had been booked into Economy, while Jack was flying in style up in First Class on the very same plane. However, Jack tracked Violet down after boarding and switched seats with her, allowing the octogenarian to cross the Atlantic in the lap of luxury.
The story was later shared via Facebook by Virgin Atlantic flight attendant Leah Amy, who shared some truly lovely pictures of Violet kicking back in the First Class cabin:
Of the hundreds of flights I’ve operated, I’ve had the pleasure of looking after footballers, supermodels and some Hollywood movie stars but let me tell you about my two favourite passengers EVER!
Jack and Violet (I wish she was called Vera or Rose). Jack and his family purchased seats In our upper class cabin for a flight home from New York, but when he got onboard, Jack went and found violet in economy and swapped seats with her.
He then sat on the row of seats directly next 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 [sic].
Leah continued:
Violet is 88 years old, has been a nurse in both the UK and over in America. She travels to New York to see her daughter, but hasn’t been able to for a while because of a knee replacement. Her dream has always been to sit at the front, and Jack made that come true.
You should of [sic] seen her face, when I tucked her in her bed after supper. She said her daughter won’t believe her, and wanted a ‘selfie’ to prove it, but didn’t have a phone or an email address. These photos are getting sent in the post tomorrow, can you even cope.
Leah’s post has since gone viral, with people young and old falling in love with Violet’s winning smile.
One person commented:
Usually we hear only the bad things, but there still a lot of good people [sic]. That young man did a wonderful thing for this woman.
Another said:
This is just so sweet. I hope Jack has an amazing life, he sure deserves it.
Jack, if you’re reading this, you’re an absolute legend who deserves a First Class Christmas.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.