The woman began "causing a commotion" after boarding the plane.
An Alaska Airlines flight crew has drawn praise after calming an elderly passenger with dementia, who became uneasy after boarding a plane.
The unnamed woman, who was flying with her male caretaker, was “causing a bit of a commotion” shortly after taking her seat on the Seattle-to-St. Louis flight earlier this month, passenger Kristen Wiley said.
“The woman was getting very upset so those of us nearby tried getting the attention of the flight crew,” Wiley told InsideEdition.com.
Wiley, who shared a picture from the incident, explained the flight crew was quick to try to calm the elderly woman, and address the situation to other passengers.
When it became obvious the woman was unable to fly, Wiley said she overheard the crew members help them re-book their flights for the following day. The airline also set them up with a night’s stay at a local hotel and organized transportation to bring them there before security officers escorted them off the plane.
“All for them to give it another try the following day after the woman was able to get some rest, and rest for her extremely patient and loving caretaker,” Wiley said.
The flight was ultimately delayed nearly an hour, but Wiley said no passengers complained about the schedule change.
While Wiley said she is unsure what happened the following day, she is praising Alaskan Airlines for their handling of the situation.
“It was so wonderful to witness first hand,” she said.
Alaskan Airlines representative told InsideEdition.com: "We are proud of our employees for handling this unfortunate situation with great care. The way this was handled really embodies our core company values of providing kind, caring service and always doing the right thing for our guests."
To learn more about the effects of dementia, visit this website.
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