Imagine this: You get the worst news imaginable. Your mom is in the hospital, and when things take an unexpected turn for the worse, the doctors say she may only have hours to live. You book the first flight you can, desperate to say goodbye. But then, your plane is delayed. Your connection is tight. Too tight. It feels hopeless.

That’s exactly where Hannah White found herself. Sitting on a grounded plane in Dallas, she learned her mom’s health had deteriorated drastically. Time was running out. The delay stretched on, and Hannah’s anxiety grew. When a flight attendant explained she’d miss her connection in Minneapolis, Hannah broke down.

“I bawled in my seat, knowing there was a possibility I wouldn’t be able to see my mom one last time,” she later said.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. The flight attendant didn’t just walk away—she cried with Hannah and decided to act. She spoke to the pilot, who called ahead to the next flight. Miraculously, the pilot of the connecting flight agreed to wait.

The kindness didn’t stop there. Hannah recalled, “They bumped me up to first class so I could get off the plane faster. The pilot made an announcement to the whole plane to let me off first so I could make it to say goodbye to my mom.”

Even strangers stepped in to help. “The man next to me realized they were speaking about me, so he pulled up a map of the airport and helped me find my connecting gate,” she said. “He told me to run as fast as I could as soon as we landed.”

When Hannah arrived in Minneapolis, she sprinted through the terminal. The plane had been waiting for 30 minutes. She boarded, out of breath but incredibly grateful. “The whole staff happily welcomed me, saying, ‘We’ve been waiting for you, Hannah,’” she wrote.

That night, she made it to her mom’s bedside. “Delta’s kindness gave me 24 extra hours with her. I was able to say, ‘I love you,’ one last time and provide the comfort for her in her final moments, that she provided for me my whole life.”

Hannah’s TikTok video telling her story has racked up over 10 million views. She described it as “the gift of time” and said, “You gave me a forever customer in me.” Here is Hannah’s story in her own words:

“I wish I knew the names of those who helped me, but the story is too beautiful not to share. My mom was in the hospital for undiagnosed pneumonia, had surgery, and was doing well. Then, I got a call from my brother that her body went into septic shock and family needed to visit her immediately. Doctors did not know what was wrong or how long she had. I got on the first flight the following day from Dallas, with a connection in Minneapolis. We sat on the plane in DFW for over an hour due to mechanical issues. I knew if I didn’t make my connecting flight I wouldn’t see my mom until the following day and we weren’t sure she’d be alive. I explained my situation to the flight attendant and asked if there was anything she could do to ensure I make this connecting flight. She came back to my seat and told me I was unfortunately going to miss my flight and they already booked me for the flight the following day. As she explained this, I immediately started welling up with tears. She apologized and cried with me. I balled in my seat, knowing there was a possibility I wouldn’t be able to see my mom one last time. An hour later she came back and said our pilot called the other pilot and explained my story. The other pilot said he would wait for me so I could see my mom. They then bumped me up to first class, so I could get off the plane faster. When I got to my first class seat, the pilot made an announcement to the whole plane to let me off first so I could make it to say goodbye to my mom. The man next to me realized they were speaking about me, so he pulled up a map of the airport and helped me find my connecting gate. He told me to run as fast as I could as soon as we landed. They let me off and I ran through the airport to make my flight, knowing they had been waiting 30 minutes for me. The whole time I was picturing my mom and how she would run across the country for me too. <3 I made it to my flight and all the staff happily welcomed me saying “we’ve been waiting for you, Hannah” The entire plane was seated and waiting. I sat in my seat and relaxed, knowing I was going to be able to see my mom tonight. As I got off, all the flight attendants gave me encouraging words and wished me luck. When I was waiting for my ride outside, the pilot came up to me and shook my hand. He said he will pray for me. My mom passed away the next day. Delta’s kindness gave me 24 extra hours wiht her. I was able to say “I love you” one last time and provide the comfort for her in her final moments, that she provided for me my whole live. Thank you, Delta. You gave me the gift of time. You have a forever customer in me.” – Hannah via TikTok