Allegiant passengers got a pleasant surprise on a flight from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Orlando, Florida on Monday when they were treated to in-flight snacks by Make-A-Wish kid Stephen “S.J.” Awwad.
The five-year-old’s wish was to spend a week with his family at Walt Disney World Resort and assisting the flight crew by passing out snack-packs of pretzels en route was his “wish enhancement,” Allegiant said.
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Allegiant was more than happy to meet S.J.’s uncommon request.
S.J. was named an honorary Allegiant flight attendant, receiving a kid-sized version of the crew uniform and his very own customized wings pin with his nickname and the words “flight attendant” etched in the metal.
“Many of the kids we fly to their wish destinations are traveling to Florida,” Hilarie Grey, Allegiant’s managing director of corporate communications, said in a statement. “But this is the first time a Wish kid has asked to serve snacks to passengers in flight. We found out from Make-A-Wish that S.J. loves anything to do with flying, so we not only wanted to say ‘yes,’ but aimed to make the experience extra special.”
According to Myhighplains.com, S.J. was born with 10 different congenital heart defects and his organs are flipped backward inside of his body, meaning that he will require a heart transplant one day.
Allegiant has partnered with Make-A-Wish since 2012 and is currently recognized as a Wish Champion for making $1 million in annual contributions.
