Flying can be panic-inducing at the best of times—but anxiety disorders like emetophobia (the fear of throwing up) can make it so much worse.
In a viral TikTok, which has amassed 603,300 views, Birdy (@birdy.bee) sent a message out to the attendant on her most recent flight from Cincinnati to DC.
“I did not get the chance to thank you for holding me during the flight,” she began.
She then went on to explain how the flight got off to a shaky start, as it was only meant to be 55 minutes long, and it left half an hour later.
As the plane circled D.C., unable to land, Birdy says she felt “extremely nauseous,” which was made worse by the fact that she has emetophobia.
As the flight redirected to Pittsburgh, unable to land, the TikToker began having a panic attack. This led to the attendant taking swift action: removing the man next to her and sitting next to her instead, holding her hands.
She explained that there’s a chance they’ll have to reroute to Cincinnati, but promises Birdy that she wouldn’t be stranded and that she’d stay the night in the airport with her if needed. At this, Birdy started crying and the attendant held her for five minutes.
Due to the upset, Birdy explained how she was unable to get the attendant’s name. But in a direct message to her, she said, “Thank you so much for your kindness. I don’t know how I could ever repay you. You single-handedly saved me from having a much, much worse breakdown.”
@birdy.bee this is so scrambled my brain is still in shambles but i hope this video can find her ?? #travelstories #blowthisup ♬ original sound – birdy
Did she find her?
In a follow-up video. Birdy shared that she found the flight attendant in question.
This transpired because one commenter was a flight attendant from Endeavour and was friends with the Delta flight attendants. One of these attendants then commented on the original video and gave Birdy the profile of the attendant in question.
In a direct message exchange, Birdy shared that the attendant had woken up to a lot of DMs about the video, and said that Birdy’s action had made her year.
As a parting gift, Birdy says she also emailed Delta and left a comment on Endeavour’s website.
Birdy didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment and email. In addition to this, Delta didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via contact form.
Moreover, Endeavour Air didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via email. The company did, however, comment on the video, writing: “Thank you for sharing this – we’re so thankful to our crew for helping you through this flight. Such a good reminder that empathy and compassion are so important. We will make sure to give your compliments back to our crew!”
Commenters react
In the comments, users were supportive. “Oye that must have been so overwhelming,” one wrote. “I hope you find her.”
A second added, “Flight attendants are so incredibly underrated.”
While a third asked, “Who is this person: a flight attendant or an actual angel sent from heaven itself? We need more people like her in the world.”
Elsewhere, commenters shared their own experiences with emetophobia and anxiety. “This made me tear up,” a fourth admitted. “I have general panic and anxiety, and have developed severe flight anxiety. The last trips I went on, I almost canceled. I’m so glad the flight attendant and passenger next to you were so kind to you. “
“Knowing exactly how long it has been since the last time you threw up is peak emetophobia,” a fifth said. “I was just calculating how long it has been for me the other day and getting anxious about how long it has been and feeling ‘due’ for it to happen again. I am glad you had an awesome FA who helped you through that!”
And a sixth explained, “Ok as a fellow emetephobe – this is a huge fear. Mine is based on others throwing up, not necessarily myself. So genuinely that sounds like hell. Thankful for wonderful flight attendants. I’ve also had one be amazing during a 4-hour panic attack flight!”
Delta puts deaf woman in wheelchair
However, not all customers have had the best experience with Delta.
Back in October, TikToker Brooke (@ebrookemack) expressed confusion when she disclosed her deafness to Delta—only for them to respond by putting her in a wheelchair.
“I’m currently at Delta. I’m in a wheelchair because they think that it’s going to help my deafness and my hard-of-hearing and get my hearing back,” she told viewers. “But I do have legs, so we’re just enjoying the ride.”
After being escorted by an attendant to her flight, she quipped: “You know, after this ride in the wheelchair I think I can hear perfectly.”
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