Flight attendants spend much of a plane route making sure passengers are comfortable, and perhaps passing out a pillow or a beverage.
But recently, an eagle-eyed flight attendant noticed something that seemed suspicious and ended up saving a life.
Quick thinking
“The girl looked like she had been through pure hell.”
SHELIA FEDRICK
Shelia Fredrick, a flight attendant working for Alaska Airlines, saw a young teen who was traveling with a well-dressed older man. It set off red flags.
Fredrick tried to be chatty with the pair to see if all was well, but the man seemed defensive.
“I left a note in one of the bathrooms,” Fredrick said. “She wrote back on the note and said ‘I need help.’”
Fredrick then told the pilot, who arranged to have police waiting in the airport terminal when the plane landed.
“I’ve been a flight attendant for 10 years and it’s like I am going all the way back to when I was in training and I was like I could have seen these young girls and young boys and didn’t even know.”
FREDRICK TO WTSP.
Sharing the signs
Fredrick has kept in contact with the girl she rescued over the past few years, who is now attending college. The experience inspired Frederick to lead seminars for flight attendants on what to look out for when seeing potential trafficking situations on a flight.
“I love to smile, like being around people, that’s why I’m a flight attendant. Loving working with people and taking risks,” shared Fredrick in a Star Now profile.
The risk is worth the reward
Especially in a time like this, with a global pandemic ravaging the world, flight attendants are constantly putting themselves at risk to make sure their passengers arrive safely at their destination.
What an amazing gift this woman is. Not only did she save a young girl’s life, but she also turned the situation into an opportunity to pursue efforts to raise awareness about human trafficking.
