Despite air travel's prickly reputation, flying is NOT always the dehumanizing experience we make it out to be.
A group of Delta passengers were reminded of this on Wednesday, when their pilot took a surprise turn during a flight from JFK to LAX, giving them an impromptu tour of the Grand Canyon from above:
"As we were flying over the desert, the pilot came on the intercom and said that since it was such a clear day, he'd gotten approval to... give us a tour of the Grand Canyon," passenger Andrea Whittle told HuffPost. "He mentioned that it was a really special sight and that he would turn the plane a few times so we could get a good view from both sides."
The pilot narrated the scene below and suggested that window-seat passengers lean over to give their neighbors a better look, Whittle said.
"He also apologized for interrupting people's movies," she said. "I thought that was so sweet."
Detours like this aren't specifically encouraged by the airline, but pilots do have permission to give passengers the best flight possible, said Michael Thomas, a spokesperson for Delta.
"To see one of America’s national treasures on what appears to be a perfect day of flying? I can’t think of a more impressive sight to treat a plane full of customers," Thomas said.
And it's another fabulous reminder that sometimes, air travel really is sweet.
