As a young kid when first getting onto the internet, I was always tempted to click on the flashing link that told me I was the millionth person to land on the page.
We were always warned it would spawn a virus that would melt the computer. But this is a much more heart-warming story of reaching a milestone.
Captain John Charles Ritchie from Southwest Airlines in the US wanted to make an announcement before he flew the plane from Denver to Pittsburgh.
After flying for 21 years, he had been counting how many people he transported and was happy to announce he had finally reached the magic million mark. But Captain Ritchie wasn't just going to make a nice speech - he wanted to go above and beyond.
Flight attendant Jennifer Todd filmed what Captain Ritchie did next:
Credit: Facebook/Jennifer Todd
In the video, the captain says: "I'd like to make a special announcement before we go. About 22 years ago I retired from the United States Air Force, where I had the privilege of flying F-16s as a combat pilot and as a test pilot, and for the past 22 years I've been flying with Southwest.
"Today is a special day. Ever since I started at Southwest, I've kept track of the passengers I've flown and today I'm flying my one millionth passenger. In honour of that, I have a bottle of champagne. I have a copy of your boarding card and in addition to that I did a bit of snooping and I found out how much you paid for your ticket. So, in an envelope, I have in cash, the amount of money you paid for your ticket."
Then Captain Ritchie gets what looks to be a bottle of Dom Perignon and hands it to the lucky lady. Jennifer uploaded the video to Facebook where she says that the captain paid for the ticket out of his own pocket.
Credit: Facebook/Jennifer Todd
In the post, she adds: "I am so incredibly proud and humbled to be able to 'work' for this amazing, loving airline. Captain John Charles Ritchie, you, sir, are the epitome of everything Southwest stands for and continues to even though we've grown so incredibly much over these past 45+ years. Without a heart, it's just a machine!"
People on Facebook thought it was a beautiful gesture. Tom Roberge says: "Why can't all airlines be like Southwest? My hat is off to you, Captain John Charles Ritchie! You're an incredible person and you, sir, stand for the epitome of the airline business!"
Mike Rae says: "Way to go, captain. I have been an Air Traffic Controller for 27 years. These are the type of people I have the pleasure of serving every day. Our industry has had a black eye lately with good reason. Good to see a good public story. Keep them coming."
With all the news of passengers being ripped out of seats and kicked off flights, this is certainly a good news story for an airline.
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Jennifer ToddTopics: Pilot