Real American Hero – Flight Attendant shows compassion when flying partner falls ill

Flight Attendant Italo Araujo displayed compassion and care of fellow Flight Attendant Rachel Haislip when she developed severe abdominal pain during a flight they were working together to CAK in March. For his actions, Italo was honored as a Real American Hero during a ceremony at the DCA base on Tuesday, June 29.

Rachel, who was working in First Class, went to the back after completing her service to inform Italo she wasn’t feeling well and was unable to complete her duties for landing due to her intense pain. Italo said when he saw Rachel, she was pale and looked like she might faint so he quickly evaluated the situation, told her to sit in the back row and enlisted the assistance of a non-revving American Airlines pilot to help in monitoring her.

Italo then informed the Captain who asked if they needed emergency personnel to meet the aircraft, since the flight was not far from landing. It was determined that wasn’t necessary. Once on the ground, Italo deplaned the customers and turned his attention back to Rachel.

“We worked together to decide the best course of action, which was getting Rachel to the emergency room” said Italo.

A customer service supervisor and customer service agent working on the ramp for Piedmont also stepped in to help. They got a wheelchair for Rachel to take her through the airport. Rachel said they were very sweet and made sure to be extra careful going over bumps as to not jostle her too much. Italo had planned to get an Uber to get Rachel to the hospital, but one of the ramp agents said he would transport them in his own car. The Captain and First Officer helped by taking Italo and Rachel’s luggage to the hotel with them. Italo also made sure to notify Crew Scheduling about Rachel so they could make sure her next trip was covered.

Italo stayed with Rachel at the hospital until the point where she insisted he leave to get rest. Rachel said she ended up being discharged in the early morning hours and recovered at the hotel the next day.

“I am so grateful we have humans at PSA who look out for each other,” she said. “My night could have been so much worse without them looking out for me.”

Thank you to Italo for showing care for his fellow team member in need, exemplifying what it means to live The PSA Way.