Less endearing Singaporeans might see air stewardesses as "high class waitresses".

But when former air stewardess Michelle Chan quit her job, it allowed her time and space to reflect on her vocation.

In a farewell post after leaving Singapore Airlines, she wrote about the experiences she has gained, which are much more than just waiting on passengers.

Sensed something amiss

One such story, recounted to Chan by a colleague, was about a man who had lost his wife while on holiday.

On the flight home, the man showed little care for his two children, who were restless and excitable.

When told by a flight attendant to restrain them, he replied: "You can take them. I don't want them."

It was only afterwards, when the same steward sensed that something was amiss and went back to offer his assistance, that the father broke down and said his wife had just passed away, and she was travelling back with them in the cargo hold of the plane.

It was the first time the father had to handle the children without their mother, and he did not know what to do with them.

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Not a new post

Although the reflection was written on Nov. 22, 2017, it has recently seen a surge of comments.

This is the full Facebook post:

And through this story, Chan hopes to inform her audience that flight attendants not only serve food and drinks to the passengers, but also take care of their safety, and, when needed, even provide them with emotional reassurance.

As she puts it:

We place our lives in the same environment as you are, to ensure that in the event of a decompression, someone is there to place an oxygen mask on you. In the event of an evacuation, someone is there to gauge if it’s safe to open the door for you to exit. In the event of a medical emergency, someone is there to administer first aid, and in the event of death, someone is there to perform resuscitation.

Here’s a totally unrelated but equally interesting story:

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