Heartfelt letter thanking pilot goes viral

In the wake of the Germanwings crash and a particularly dark year in commercial aviation, a passenger’s heartfelt handwritten letter thanking her pilots has gone viral after being posted on Twitter.

Uploaded by Cheshire, UK-based pilot, @jaidillon March 30, the photo capture has since been retweeted more 3,820 times on Twitter and favorited more than 3,000 times.

The letter was given to a colleague from a passenger, says Jai Dillon on Twitter, and thanks the crew at a time when flyers are becoming increasingly jittery about airline safety and on-board tensions are mounting.

On Tuesday, an easyJet flight was forced to divert to Rome from its original destination of Geneva, when an irate passenger allegedly punched a female flight attendant, sending her to the floor because he waited too long for his sandwich.

“I understand an event so horrific as [the Germanwings crash] affects those with your responsibility more than others, and maybe sometimes a kind word, random but heartfelt, can make a difference,” reads the letter.

“Thank you for taking me home. Thank you for doing so safely. Thank you for allowing me to live the life I do in Spain and split my time with my family in England too. You make the excitement I feel now to see my family possible.

"You're making a massive difference and you're the reason I can smile tonight."

Germanwings flight 9525 crashed into the French Alps March 24, killing all 150 people on board. French prosecutors say co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, who was suffering from depression, deliberately flew the plane into the mountains.