Dad misses flying so much he buys Delta plane seats
Airline CEO got in touch after videos went viral
![Father and daughter are enjoying the Delta seats](https://static.the-independent.com/2020/12/14/10/newFile-4.jpg)
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A father in the US missed flying so much that he bought a pair of Delta Air Lines seats and installed them in his home.
Steve Simao’s shrine to air travel quickly went viral after his daughter, Nissy Simao, uploaded several videos of him to Tiktok.
The clips were viewed, liked and commented on hundreds of thousands of times.
“So this is my dad,” Nissy says on the first post. “If you know him, you know he’s pretty goofy, always doing the most, pretty extra.
“The other day I got this text that he missed travelling so much he wanted to buy these first-class Delta airplane seats.”
Steve bit the bullet and the next time Nissy went home to visit her parents, she found him sitting on his new seat, tucked in with a Delta blanket and watching the airline’s safety video.
He was even reading the safety card that came with the chairs, to fully simulate the flight experience.
“He’s absolutely obsessed with them,” Nissy said of her dad and the seats.
In another video, father and daughter position themselves in the seats with a backdrop of what looks like the view from a plane window on the TV screen and video call Nissy’s grandmother, pretending to be calling from a flight.
The Tiktok posts gained so much traction that Nissy got in touch with Delta on social media and shared the videos.
They caught the airline’s attention, and Steve was rewarded for his love of the carrier with a surprise video message from Delta CEO Ed Bastian.
“I understand your dad really misses travel on Delta during this really crazy year we’ve been through,” says Mr Bastian.
“I’m glad he’s enjoying those first-class seats in your home, and we’ve got first-class seats waiting for him when he’s ready to start travelling again.”
The airline said it was gifting the family with three first-class round-trip tickets to anywhere that Delta flies to.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments