A flight attendant has earned widespread praise after stepping in to help an exhausted new mum during a flight – first catching her baby as the infant began to slip from her lap, before taking over childcare duties so she could sleep.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The touching moment happened aboard United flight 3486 travelling from Newark, New Jersey, to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Passenger John Frehse witnessed the incident and later shared what happened on Instagram, singling out flight attendant Monique Harris for her actions, per Fox News.
According to Frehse, the tired mother had fallen asleep during the journey when her baby started to slip from her lap.
Rather than simply waking her, Harris immediately intervened.
“United should be very proud,” Frehse wrote, explaining that the baby was “about to fall out of her lap.”
“Monique sprung into action and caught the child,” he continued. “She then told the mother to go back to sleep – she would give her a break.”
Harris then held the baby herself, allowing the new mum to get some much-needed rest during the flight.
Frehse also posted a photo appearing to show the flight attendant holding the infant aboard the aircraft, with the small gesture clearly leaving a major impression on him.
“All is not lost in the turbulent time,” he wrote.
And Frehse certainly knows his way around a United Airlines flight.
He said he has travelled more than two million miles with the airline and even tagged United CEO Scott Kirby while calling for Harris to receive recognition.
“She is an A+ employee,” he wrote. “Take note!!!”
The praise didn’t stop there, with Harris herself eventually responding after the story began attracting attention online.
“I’m in tears,” she wrote, adding, “I never do anything for recognition.”
Harris said she “had no idea that being my normal natural self would grow into such a priceless moment,” while thanking Frehse and those who had left supportive comments.
Republic Airways, which operates flights for United and other airlines, also recognised Harris for the way she handled the situation.
“We agree with all the positive comments I saw on the post: Monique is an extraordinary colleague and flight attendant!” the carrier said in an email to Fox News Digital.
It also responded directly to Frehse’s original social media post.
“Such a great story!” the airline wrote. “We are proud to have Monique on our team.”
United Airlines also acknowledged the story, responding to the post with a teary-eyed emoji.
For Harris, however, what has attracted so much praise was seemingly nothing extraordinary.
It was simply her instinctive response to seeing a tired mother who needed a helping hand – and a baby who needed catching.
Featured image credit: woodylovestravel / Instagram
