Worried Mom Put Son With Autism On Flight Alone But Receives Message From His ‘Wonderful’ Plane Buddy

May 26, 2022 by apost team

For many parents, the thought of having to leave their child alone can be absolutely heartbreaking and terrifying. It’s especially difficult when the child is extremely young or potentially has another circumstance that requires them to need more attention than usual. However, there are some situations where leaving kids alone is necessary, so parents need to do everything in their power to make sure that their little ones are as prepared as possible. This is exactly what one mother did for her 7-year-old son.

In 2019, Alexa Bjornson from Las Vegas, Nevada, wrote a note for the passenger seated next to her then-7-year-old son, Landon Bjornson, who has autism and had to fly solo to visit his dad, who was in Oregon.

It is usually a bit intimidating for a child to travel alone on an airplane. Many parents and kids feel reluctant about them traveling alone, even on short flights. While regulations often differ by airline, most of them will allow unaccompanied minors to fly under certain conditions beginning at age five. Those restrictions are lifted at age 15 for most airlines.

Like any parent, Alexa was apprehensive about letting her son Landon fly alone from Las Vegas to Oregon to visit his dad. In addition to his young age, Landon has autism and sometimes has difficulty traveling.

"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 like, I can help this kiddo get through the day," Alexa told KATU in an interview in June 2019. 

To help ease Landon’s experience, she wrote a note intended for her little boy’s seatmate that included a crisp $10 bill as a token of her appreciation. According to CBS Sacramento, Alexa explained Landon’s autism, telling the stranger who would be sitting next to him that Landon might get emotional or stressed out during certain parts of the flight. She also asked the person that would be sitting next to Landon to make him feel comfortable during the flight and included her cellphone number if there was an emergency.

The envelope was titled: "To: My Neighbour, From: My Mom." The note read:

“Hello! This is Landon. He is seven years old and this is his first flight alone today. He has high-functioning autism, which means he is very smart and loving, but he tends to get emotional when he is scared and can get hyper. He might ask you ‘Are we there yet?’ a few times or get a little loud with his headphones on. If you could please find it in your heart to make him feel comfortable and safe, I would be forever grateful!”

She continued:

“He might get scared on take-off, but he has snacks packed and games to play. My name is Alexa (Mom), and if you see anything on the flight I should know, please text or call me. (phone number redacted) This is for you! ($10) Thank you so much and try to enjoy your flight! Love, Alexa.”

When Landon handed over the note and the money to his seatmate, the little boy got a cheerful response.

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Ben Pedraza, who sat next to Landon for the flight to Oregon on June 28, 2019, was a little surprised by Alexa’s note and that she thought it was necessary to include money with it.

Nevertheless, Pedraza and Landon quickly bonded during the flight, joking and playing several rounds of rock paper scissors. “We were cracking jokes, and after a while, he asked me to quit making dad jokes,” Pedraza told KATU in a separate interview.

When the plane landed, Pedraza contacted Alexa, reassuring her that Landon had a good flight and was a great travel buddy, Good Morning America shared.

Pedraza shared pictures of Landon and him in their seats and congratulated Alexa on having an amazing kid. Pedraza also said that he donated the $10 included in the note to the Autism Society on Landon’s behalf.

“Alexa, my name is Ben,” read Pedraza's text message to Landon’s mom. “I was Landon’s seat neighbor for his flight to Portland. He did ask if we were there yet several times but he was a great travel buddy. We had a good time and played several rounds of rock-paper-scissors.”

“He’s a great kid and you’re a lucky mom,” continued Pedraza. “I appreciate the $10 but it wasn’t necessary. I donated it to Autism-Society.org in honor of Landon. Have a great day!”

Alexa later told of Pedraza and Landon’s interaction on Facebook, and included a screen capture of Pedraza's message to her. She thanked Pedraza for the kindness he showed to her son. She wrote: “Today my son took his first flight to Oregon to see his dad.” 

She continued:

“I sent Landon with a letter to give to whoever sat next to me saying he has high functioning autism so he might be nervous and ask you 'are we there yet' a lot, and please just make him feel safe and comfortable, with 10 dollars in the note. And this is what I just received ❤❤❤ I am so grateful to this individual, and that there are still kind people in the world who make a difference like I try myself to do as well. Thank you so much Ben!!!!”

Alexa’s post later went viral, and many who admired Pedraza's kindness and generosity became curious if he was single. Spoiler: He’s not. “I’m off the market for sure, definitely, but I’m flattered,” he told KATU. He added that he accepts the compliments but hopes that the focus remains on autism awareness.

The post invited many other parents of kids with autism to share their own stories of traveling with their children in the comments section of the post.

One Susie Cregg, whose then-5-year-old son has autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), said that often her son will experience tantrums brought on by a plethora of triggers. In a lengthy comment, Susie wrote that she is happy that there are people like Pedraza who show kindness in a world that often seems increasingly mean.

“I can only imagine how stressed out his mom must have felt leaving him on his own amongst strangers — even in a safe environment,” she wrote. “How wonderful to find a seatmate who could understand that and offer her some peace of mind. It is so wonderful to know there are still kind people in (what seems like) an increasingly mean society. Autism awareness is definitely a big help.”

What do you think of the way Ben Pedraza helped Landon Bjornson during his first flight? Isn't it heartwarming to know that there are still strangers willing to help out a person in need and even refuse to accept money for it? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your loved ones.