Vietnamese woman whose brother died thanked SIA staff for ‘humanity, kindness, and professionalism ‘

SINGAPORE: A woman took to Facebook on Saturday (Feb 28) to express her thankfulness to the crew on a Singapore Airlines flight who went above and beyond the call of duty during her time of need.

Mai Chau’s “Letter of Deepest Gratitude to Singapore Airlines” has since gone viral.

She had booked an SIA flight from Australia to Singapore en route to Saigon upon learning that her youngest brother had passed away.

“In one of the most painful moments of my life, all I wanted was to return home as quickly as possible,” she wrote.

Around an hour after the flight had taken off, she began to feel nauseated and short of breath due to the change in cabin pressure. But since she had a window seat, she did not want to bother the others in her row.

However, when she began to feel worse within minutes, she changed her mind.

“As soon as I stood up, I collapsed into seat 61C because I could barely breathe. I tried to walk toward the back of the aircraft, but I fell into the arms of the flight attendants. Immediately, they supported me and rushed to bring oxygen so I could breathe,” Ms Chau added.

The crew not only gave her what she needed but, perhaps more importantly, their calm and steady demeanour reassured her when she was in distress.

Fortunately, a doctor was on the same flight, although at one point, flying back to Australia was even considered if no medical assistance was available.

When she was examined, it was discovered that her blood pressure had dropped below 100. After her condition was stabilised, Ms Chau was moved to a business class seat so she could lie down and rest properly.

“For the remainder of the flight, they checked on me constantly and cared for me with extraordinary attentiveness and compassion. I was not treated as just another passenger — I was treated like family,” she wrote.

Moreover, a flight attendant gave her an envelope with $200 before the plane landed in Singapore, so she could get checked by a doctor and make her connecting flight to Saigon, which caused her to break down in tears.

“She and the entire crew encouraged me to stay strong during this devastating time. In the middle of grief and physical distress, I was met with humanity, kindness, and professionalism beyond anything I could have imagined.”

Ms Chau wrote that the SIA crew and the doctor and medical professionals who attended to her “made a life-changing difference in my journey home,” and asked those who read her post to share “the genuine care and compassion I received from Singapore Airlines, the entire cabin crew, and the medical professionals who assisted me that day.”

She ended her post by writing, “Their actions went far beyond duty — they showed true humanity at 30,000 feet. Please accept my most sincere and heartfelt gratitude. I will never forget what you did for me.” /TISG