Delta Air Lines Team Members Are Now My Family

Delta Air Lines Gave Me Back the Joy of Travel

By Liam P. Cusack
Managing Editor & Publisher, Cruise & Travel Report
Contributor to The New York Times and Travel + Leisure

For most frequent travelers, a flight from New York to South Florida is routine. For me, it was a milestone.

Due to serious health issues, I am now a young man in a wheelchair. This spring, I had to travel from New York City to Southern Florida on business — my first business trip in two years. I was excited, but I would be lying if I said I was not nervous. When you travel with mobility issues, every part of the journey can feel uncertain: the ride to the airport, the curbside arrival, check-in, security, boarding, finding space for the wheelchair, deplaning and getting safely to the next destination.

On April 12, 2026, I flew Delta Air Lines flight DL1077 from LaGuardia Airport to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. From the very beginning, Delta helped turn what could have been frightening into something wonderful.

Before I even reached LaGuardia, I learned something I wish more travelers knew: Delta’s partner Uber offers Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles for the same price as a regular Uber. For a wheelchair traveler, that is not a small convenience. It is freedom. It is dignity. It is the difference between beginning a trip with anxiety and beginning it with confidence.

Once I arrived at LaGuardia, Delta employees made the experience easier, calmer and more human. There were smiles from the front door to deplaning in Florida. That may sound simple, but to a traveler in a wheelchair returning to business travel after two difficult years, a smile is powerful. It says: You are welcome here. You are not a burden. You are still a traveler.

The trip south was excellent. But somehow, the return home was even better.

On April 16, 2026, I flew Delta flight DL2965 from Fort Lauderdale back to New York. I had left early because anyone who has battled South Florida traffic knows that it can turn a short ride into an endurance test. That meant I had nearly three hours to wait for my flight. I was nervous, tired and unsure how the long wait would go.

Then I met Monica at the Fort Lauderdale check-in desk.

I was only a simple Economy passenger, but Monica made me feel like a VIP. She made checking in and paying for my bag simple, smooth and stress-free. She treated me not merely as a passenger, but as a guest. That is the kind of service that travelers remember.

Then a Delta supervisor, who kindly asked not to be identified, noticed my anxiety and extended a gesture I will never forget: complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club at FLL. I cannot overstate what that meant. Instead of sitting for hours feeling exposed, frightened, and overwhelmed, I had a peaceful place to wait.

Inside the Sky Club, Stefanie, the bartender, made the experience even better. We had such a warm conversation that I felt less like a stranded traveler and more like a member of the family. She helped me relax. She helped me breathe. She helped turn a difficult travel day into a joyful one.

Boarding was easy. My wheelchair folds small enough to fit onboard in the aircraft closet, and Delta handled that with care. I gave the flight crew bags of candy and Starbucks cards as a thank-you — something I have always done, for more than 15 years, long before I became ill. Flight crews have some of the most difficult jobs in the world, and they deserve kindness in return, a little treat even if it is a piece of chocolate and a latte.

The crew on DL2965 took wonderful care of me. They made me feel safe, seen and valued. When we landed, I understood why the energy felt so familiar: they were a New York City-based crew. In my experience, New York-based crews are always among the very best — direct, warm, efficient and full of heart.

If this is how Delta treats passengers with mobility issues in Economy, I can only imagine the sheer luxury and service of flying Delta One, Premium Select or First Class.

Thank you, Delta Air Lines. Thank you to Monica at FLL check-in, Stefanie at the Delta Sky Club, the kind supervisor who saw that I needed help, and the outstanding New York City-based flight crew working DL2965 on April 16, 2026. I hope Delta will see that each of them receives the commendation they richly deserve.

And if possible, with their permission, I would love the opportunity to send personal thank-you notes to Monica, Stefanie and the incredible New York CIty-based crew who helped give me back not just a flight home, but the confidence to travel again.

Now I can’t wait to try Delta One, Premium, or FIrst.

And if you were one of the team members who helped me, you remember me, please send me a private email so I can thank you again!