Flying may seem as natural to most people as driving a car, but for others, it is a real fear that must be overcome.

When you fly frequently, you become accustomed to the sensation of being in the air. However, if you haven’t been on a plane in a while, even boarding can be terrifying.

That was the case for Virginia, an elderly lady on a Southwest Airlines flight from San Diego to Nashville in July 2019.

Megan Ashley, her co-passenger, told the story of what happened to the nervous grandmother and how she got through the flight with the help of her «flight angel.»

Megan explained on Facebook that she overheard Virginia saying she was nervous because she hadn’t flown in 15 years.

She was flying to Kansas City to celebrate her birthday with her family, but as excited as she was to see them, she wasn’t looking forward to the flight.

Virginia asked the man seated beside her if he would mind holding her hand during takeoff. Fortunately, the stranger was more than willing to help.

«She asked for this man’s hand during takeoff and then hugged him again during turbulence,» Ashley writes in her post. «This gentleman, I should say, gladly took her hand, let her hold on to him, calmed her down by talking to her and explaining everything that was going on, and was simply that stranger there for her.»

Megan stated that the man named Ben went above and beyond to look after the 96-year-old during the flight and afterward.

Ben helped Virginia stand up when she needed to use the restroom and followed her down the aisle. He also carried her bag and assisted her in getting off the plane and into the wheelchair. And when she became confused, wondering where her daughter had gone, the Good Samaritan stayed with her until she found her daughter, who had become separated from her.

Virginia was so grateful that she wanted Ben to have her flight pretzels.

Megan said she “walked away sobbing happy tears” after witnessing the stranger’s kind act towards the woman.

“Hats off to you sir, for your kind heart and your compassion toward someone whom you’ve never met. I have never been so touched on a flight before. This truly made my week,” Megan ended her post.

Many people took to the comments to say how touched they were by this man’s selfless act.

“Oh my gosh! That was the sweetest story, Megan. We have to remember how there are way kinder people in this world than are portrayed in the news! God Bless them both!” one said.

“What a true humanitarian simple kind loving gestures from the heart,” another wrote.