DALLAS — "Finally, I have one last request for each of you today."
American Airlines flight attendant Breaunna Ross couldn't hold back her emotions on a flight from Jacksonville, Florida to Dallas on September 27. She had been with the company for two and a half years and said it was a job she loved. She could meet people and travel to places she didn't know exisited.
Her dream career ended on October 1 after a federal prohibition on job cuts expired. Ross, along with nearly 19,000 other American Airlines workers, lost her job. The Fort Worth-based company currently employs more than 140,000 people.
Ross wanted to give her passengers one final farewell as she went through the safety checklist on her flight one last time. She posted the message on her Facebook page, which has now been viewed nearly 400,000 times. She didn't use this moment at the microphone to talk about the loss of her job or blame anyone for her situation.
Instead, Ross used this moment to be humble, asking for a moment of humanity from each one of her passengers.
"Finally, I have one last request for each of you today," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "With so much happening in the world, you never know how small actions can impact the next person. Please be kind to one another. Live with acceptance of yourself and others and until I see you in the friendly skies again, please take care of yourself and your health."
With many seats on flights unfilled due to the coronavirus pandemic, American Airlines said it has to offset the costs by offering early retirement packages, unpaid and partially paid leave. The airline estimated its travel is down 70 percent from a year ago.
The airline said it has been negotiating with the government for more federal aid, but a new deal has yet to be reached. Officials with American said they could reverse the furloughs and people like Ross can get back to work if Congress and the White House would agree to give billions of dollars in taxpayer help.
Ross said she is grateful to American Airlines for taking a chance on her. She wrote on her Facebook page, praising her passengers for their well wishes after her message. "So many told me it was beautiful," she wrote. "My heart is full."