Act of kindness on Oregon-bound flight goes viral

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU/CNN) – A social media post about an act of kindness on a flight from Las Vegas to Portland is going viral.

Tens of thousands of people have reacted positively on Facebook to the way a man looked out for a young boy with autism sitting next to him on the plane and it’s been shared more than 13,000 times.

7-year-old Landon was pretty scared to take his first solo flight. But his mom, Alexis Bjornson, had a whole different set of worries. She said, “And I thought, ‘How do I make it so whoever’s sitting next to him won’t look at him as a burden?’ But more of, “I can help this kiddo get through the day.’”

Landon has autism and traveling can be a bit turbulent. Alexis didn’t know how he’d do alone, so she wrote this note to his neighbor on the plane hoping they’d help out. She stuffed some cash inside as a thank you.

Ben Pedraza secured the lucky seat next to Landon. “We were cracking jokes and after a while, he asked me to quit making dad jokes,” Ben said.

According to Ben, the direct southwest flight from Vegas to PDX was full of non-stop activity. he captured a photo at the end to assure Alexa all was well. “My heart just dropped,” she said.

Ben donated the $10 to the Autism Society in Landon’s honor.

Their story’s since gone viral with Ben’s generosity capturing hearts online. Ben will take the compliment but just hopes the attention stays on autism awareness.

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