Pilot's Cabin Speech About His Daughter Calms Passengers ... and the Internet

""It is perfectly understandable. I want to emphasize that this aircraft does not move a single inch unless both my co-captain Michael and myself are absolutely certain it's safe to do so.""

""Before I left the house on this trip, my little one has learned the word 'ice cream,' and she made me make sure I promised her to get her ice cream when I get back home from the trip," he continued. "That being said, nothing - and I mean absolutely nothing - unsafe comes in between me, that little girl and her ice cream.""

""It's night. It's dark, the government's shut down. All we're hearing is there's not enough air traffic controllers," she tells TODAY.com. "People are wrecked.""

""Everybody was clapping," she says. "Everybody kind of took a deep breath, like, 'OK, it's all going to be good.' It was really wonderful that the pilot said what he said and made everyone feel at ease.""

Delta Flight 2052 from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham on Nov. 6 carried anxious passengers amid airline staffing shortages and impending flight reductions. The pilot entered the cabin and reassured passengers that the aircraft would not move unless he and his co-captain Michael were absolutely certain it was safe. The pilot shared a personal promise about returning to his young daughter who had learned the word "ice cream" and vowed that nothing unsafe would come between him, the girl and her ice cream. A passenger, Stacey Ray, recorded the moment; the speech eased tension, prompted applause and provided visible relief to travelers.

Read at TODAY.com