Her luggage, though, was still on the flight she was supposed to have taken.
Then that flight was canceled.
Most of us are used to such things. We wait for the airline to deliver our bags and, in the meantime, wonder whether to brush our teeth with our finger.
In Hurt's case, it was a little different.
As WPXI-TV reports, she has cancer. Stage 4 colon cancer. And her vital medication was in her luggage.
She called Southwest. Someone called Sarah answered. Hurt explained her circumstances.
"She said, 'I'll have it delivered to you no matter what time it is,' and she left me a voicemail at 2.53 a.m. telling me that she was delivering my luggage to my house herself. And it was on my porch when I woke up in the morning with all my items."
Sarah didn't just leave her a voicemail. She also left a handwritten note with the luggage.
"Sorry for the delay getting your bag to you! Myself and my Southwest family are thinking of you and wishing you all the best. Kick that cancer's BUTT! With love, Sarah from PIT," it read.
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World's 10 best airlines, according to TripAdvisor
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World's 10 best airlines, according to TripAdvisor
Airline employees don't currently enjoy an excess of admiration.
Much of that is because of the position in which their employers have put them in. They're police officers first, jailers shortly afterward and only occasionally behave as if they're in the customer service business.
But here was someone who, in the middle of the night, was prepared to go out of her way for the most fundamentally human reason -- and, in the same moment, reflect on her employers in a way that few surely do.
Sarah had done what she'd done because by the time Hurt's luggage had reached Pittsburgh, all of the couriers the airline uses had gone home.
She must have decided that this was simply the right thing to do. How many people, though, would have waited till the first courier came on duty in the morning?
My own personal experiences with Southwest have been deeply varied. The last time made me want to not fly the airline again. That's what one or two employees can do to a customer.
In two weeks' time, Hurt has to endure her 52nd chemotherapy treatment.
If you've ever known anyone who has cancer and has had to go through something similar, you'll know how hard this is.
Just one human gesture from an airline employee made Hurt feel a little better. For just a fleeting day.
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Airline horror stories
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Airline horror stories
United Bans Leggings
Two passengers were denied boarding because they were wearing leggings in March. According to United, the airline had a right to deny boarding based on dress code because the girls were using “buddy passes” and were, therefore, representing the airline when they fly, similar to employees.
Photo Credit: Getty
David Dao
Definitely not an employee, David Dao was forcibly removed from a United flight in April after he refused to give up his seat on an "overbooked flight," resulting in a serious concussion, a broken nose, and two lost teeth. Video of the incident went viral, causing United to change their policy and get slapped with a lawsuit that was quickly settled.
Photo Credit: Youtube
Giant Rabbit Dies
United also faced another controversy when a giant rabbit being transported on one of its planes died in the cargo during a flight. According to The Sun newspaper, the animal, named Simon, was the son of the world’s largest rabbit -- a four-foot long continental rabbit called Darius --and was expected to have grown larger than his father.
“Something very strange has happened and I want to know what. I’ve sent rabbits all around the world and nothing like this has happened before," said owner Annette Edwards.
Photo Credit: Twitter
Bride and Groom Booted From Flight
A bride and groom traveling to Costa Rica for their wedding in April were escorted off a United Airlines flight after they noticed a man sleeping in their seats and decided to move up three rows as to not wake the passenger. However, it was an "Economy Plus" seat and although the passengers said they complied to return to the seats, a U.S. Marshal removed them.
Photo Credit: Getty
Altercation Between American Airlines and Mother
American Airlines suspended a flight attendant while investigating a scuffle between him, a mom and two babies. In a viral video, a woman is seen hysterically crying while holding a toddler, with a male flight attending yanking away the stroller for her second child.g a scuffle between him, a mom and two babies. In a viral video, a woman is seen hysterically crying while holding a toddler, with a male flight attending yanking away the stroller for her second child.
Photo Credit: Youtube
Delta Removes Passenger After He Used the Bathroom
At the end of April, a man was removed from a Delta flight after he used the bathroom while the plane awaited takeoff on the tarmac.
Photo Credit: Getty
Delta Worker Threatens Passengers With Jail Time
Early May, a Southern California family said they were kicked off an overbooked Delta flight because they refused to give up a seat they had bought for their young son sitting in a car seat. They were asked to have their son sit on their lap for the duration of the flight. They refused, saying they paid for the seat, to which the airline staff threatened the family with jail time.
Photo Credit: Getty
Spirit Airlines Riot
In May, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport descended into total chaos after nine Spirit Airlines flights were canceled, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and increasingly irate in the terminal. The cancellations were the result of a legal dispute between the budget airline and the Air Line Pilots Association International.
Courtesy of Jary Romero/Handout via REUTERS
Teen Trapped in Airport Alone Overnight
According to CBC News, a 15-year-old boy was "trapped" overnight in an airport alone when Air Canada rebooked him on another flight after he missed his original one. However, the flight was almost 24 hours later and the airline did not offer him any accommodation or vouchers for food. Because he is a minor, he could not get a hotel room, he says.
(Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Passenger Forced to Pee in a Cup
Also in May, a passenger claimed she was forced to pee in a cup aboard a United flight after flight attendants told her she wasn’t allowed to use the lavatory until the pilot had turned off the fasten seatbelt sign.
The woman, who had an overactive bladder, was told the flight attendant would be filing a report about the incident.
