Woman Stranded at Airport Can't Get Home, Then Meets an Airline's CEO

A stock of a woman looking distraught while sitting on the floor of an airport next to a suitcase. A video of woman stranded at an airport who was later offered a free business class ticket from a stranger has gone viral on TikTok.

What are the chances that you'll be offered a free plane ticket from a stranger, let alone a business class seat from the CEO of an airline? Well, one lucky woman found herself in this unlikely scenario while stuck at an airport in Qatar last week.

Julia Jaroslawski, a university student from Chicago, Illinois, documented the story of her surprising encounter in a video that has gone viral on TikTok. The clip has amassed over 166,500 views since it was shared on June 24 to her account, @julia.jaro.

The footage begins with her sat in business class on an airplane, before showing shots from earlier that day of her walking around Hamad International Airport in Doha, the capital of Qatar, appearing distressed.

The incident took place on June 19, Jaroslawski told Newsweek. "I flew in early Wednesday morning to Doha from Bangkok, Thailand, as Doha was my layover location to fly home to Chicago," she said, noting that she was "on a tight schedule" and "had to fly home since I had work and school the following day."

When Jaroslawski got to the airport, she was devastated to find out that there was "no chance" of her flying back home that day due to weight restriction issues on several flights.

Little did she know that she'd later be sitting in business class on a flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City to connect to Chicago, thanks to a chance encounter with a stranger—who happened to be Qatar Airways Group's CEO, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, who offered her the free ticket.

A spokesperson for Qatar Airways confirmed to Newsweek that the incident took place as described in the video.

As shockingly generous as the CEO's gesture may have been, the motivation to do so isn't surprising because "performing random acts of kindness increases happiness in both givers and receivers," according to a January 2023 study in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, though it added that "we find that givers systematically undervalue their positive impact on recipients."

'Can't Believe This Happened'

A caption shared with the viral post reads: "I'm so grateful and still can't believe this happened..."

Jaroslawski said in the clip: "Here's how the CEO of Qatar Airways gave me a free business class ticket from Doha to JFK."

According to the clip, she was told there was "no chance" of her flying home to Chicago or through Washington, D.C., and that there was only more flight to the States that day through JFK and "it's gonna probably have the same issue."

Jaroslawski said in the video she was "freaking out" thinking she was would be "stuck in Qatar forever."

After praying with a rosary to help calm herself down and no longer crying, she went to Ralph's Coffee to get a drink, where she ended up unknowingly sitting next to the CEO.

"I was sitting at a table at Ralph's Coffee at the airport; when I sat down I had no idea he was sitting only a table away from me. I sat down at that spot right after I finished praying, to drink my matcha, charge my laptop and look for flights that could bring me home to Chicago. That is when he asked me if everything was alright," she said.

Jaroslawski said it appeared the CEO "did recognize that I looked upset," adding, "I believe he got this conclusion due to my puffy eyes and that I was exhausted from traveling the night before from Bangkok."

She said the CEO was "very caring and respectful" during their interaction and that he offered her the business class ticket around five minutes into their conversation.

"I wasn't sure how to respond, I thought I didn't hear correctly," she said. "So, when I asked him to repeat what he just said, he followed up by stating that he was the CEO; that is how I learned he was the CEO of Qatar Airways."

Jaroslawski said of the generous offer: "I'm not sure why he decided to grant me a business class ticket other than the fact that he seemed like he genuinely cared about my situation and well-being. He did not have to do that, but he went out of his way to make sure that not only was my flight guaranteed, but I also had the luxury of the business class lounge and seat."

She added: "Every employee treated me with such kindness, it truly turned my day around. In fact, I will remember this whole situation for a lifetime."

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