'True humanity at 30,000 feet': Woman who fell ill onboard SIA flight thanks cabin crew for extraordinary compassion

Mai Chau was heading home to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, transiting through Singapore on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight from Perth to attend her brother's funeral, when she fell ill on board.

But the cabin crew went out of their way to help and calm her down, giving her oxygen so she could be breathe normally, and making her comfortable for the rest of the flight.

Her Facebook post on Saturday (Feb 28), titled as a "letter of gratitude" to the airline has since received over 8,200 reactions as at Monday (March 2).

Mai explained: "In one of the most painful moments of my life, all I wanted was to return home as quickly as possible."

But on board the flight she fell sick — the change in cabin pressure caused her to feel nauseous and short of breath.

As Mai stood up to leave to step out of her seat, her legs gave in and she collapsed back into her seat.

Painstakingly, she got back up and moved towards the back of the aircraft, when flight attendants noticed that she had difficulty walking and managed to catch her as she fell again.

"They supported me and rushed to bring oxygen so I could breathe," Mai recalled. Flight attendants also gave her an airsickness bag while calmly reassuring her.

"An urgent announcement was made asking if there was a doctor on board. These were scenes I had only ever seen in movies — but now I was experiencing them myself."

As a doctor examined her condition, her blood pressure dropped, Mai said.

She was subsequently moved to a business class seat so that she could lie down and rest while her condition stabilised.

Treated like family 

For the remainder of the flight, attendants checked on her "with extraordinary attentiveness and compassion".

"I was not treated as just another passenger — I was treated like family," Mai added.

Before the flight landed in Singapore, a flight attendant discreetly handed her an envelope containing $200, so that she could see a doctor and ensure she was fit to take the connecting flight home, Mai explained.

Overwhelmed, she broke down in tears amid the encouragement that the crew gave her to stay strong.

"In the middle of grief and physical distress, I was met with humanity, kindness, and professionalism beyond anything I could have imagined.

"The crew, along with the doctor and medical professionals who stepped forward to help me, made a life-changing difference in my journey home."

Requesting other users who read her post to share her story, Mai recalled the "genuine care and compassion" she experienced onboard her flight.

"Their actions went far beyond duty — they showed true humanity at 30,000 feet.

"Please accept my most sincere and heartfelt gratitude. I will never forget what you did for me," she said.

In subsequent posts on her Facebook account, Mai has shared that she managed to attend her brother's funeral.

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, SIA expressed their condolences to Mai, thanking her for sharing the experience with them.

The airline added that the safety and well-being of customers is always their priority.

AsiaOne has reached out to Mai for more information.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com