Everyone has had that moment where they’ve encountered a senior citizen struggling with their bags and in need of assistance. Whether they were fumbling with a bunch of groceries trying to make it to their car or having a hard time getting their bags to their front porch, it is human nature to want to offer help to them and, if accepted, take a weight off their shoulders. Well, the next time you’re traveling and see an elderly traveler needing help with their luggage, you might think twice before offering a helping hand.
A post going viral in the Facebook group Best Travel Destinations is sharing a cautionary warning for travelers heading out of town as the weather warms up and more folks take to the skies to reach their destinations. Originally published by a Twitter user named @Unigwechidalu, the young woman almost found herself in major trouble when she acted as a good samaritan to an old lady aboard her flight.
While waiting on the plane to take off for Dubai, an elderly woman sat next to the Twitter user and asked her to help place her luggage in the overhead compartment. Although she didn’t think much about helping her, the woman wasn’t very tall and another man on board aided in pushing the luggage to the back of the bin.
The old woman talked throughout the 14-hour flight to Dubai and was very friendly. However, as the plane began to land, she started complaining of stomach pains and needed help calling the stewardess. Being a kind, good citizen, the woman called the flight attendant and informed her of the old woman’s issues. But because they were still in the air, there wasn’t much anyone could do except give her over-the-counter painkillers until the plane landed.
When she was attempting to explain her seatmate’s situation to the stewardess, the old woman began calling her “my daughter” repeatedly. But she brushed it off, thinking the woman was just senile and confused. From then on, the old lady was sweating and shaking until they landed. She appeared visibly ill and wouldn’t let the Twitter user’s hand go. She seemed afraid and everyone on the flight assumed the pair knew one another.
Once the plane landed in Dubai, the same gentleman who’d helped earlier removed the old woman’s luggage from the compartment and handed it to her. But this time, as he grabbed the bags, he warned the young traveler not to assist the elderly woman anymore and to alert the cabin crew that she did not know her at all despite being helpful during the flight.
Almost immediately after, the crew did ask her if she knew the old woman and she told them no as she gathered her belongings and started to head into the airport terminal. They’d literally just met on the plane. However, the old woman kept insisting she help her carry her bags.
The traveler was torn. Why wouldn’t she help an innocent, old woman who clearly was traveling sick and alone? However, a gaze from the same gentleman who’d helped with the luggage earlier stopped her in her tracks and he handed her a written note once again warning her to stay away from the old lady and let the crew deal with her needs.
Feeling guilty, the traveler grabbed her things and waved goodbye to her ‘new friend’ as the crew prepared a wheelchair to help the old woman exit the aircraft.
Suddenly commotion and chaos erupted in the airport. The old woman had jumped from the wheelchair and was sprinting towards the exit with all of her luggage in hand. She’d left her handbag with the flight attendant and had almost reached the door when police security caught her and placed her in handcuffs.
Immediately the old woman starts calling after the Twitter user.
“My daughter! My daughter! How could you do this to me?” she yelled.
Finally, the young traveler caught on. The old woman was carrying drugs and was trying to implicate her in the crime! She was swarmed by airport police but thankfully the man who’d helped with the luggage earlier. He confirmed the two women had just met on the plane and that he’d witnessed the old woman trying to become familiar with the traveler throughout the flight to make it appear as if they were traveling together.
Still not convinced, the police took the traveler’s passport saying that if they truly were not traveling together the old woman shouldn’t know the young lady’s full name. Thankfully, the traveler had never given the woman her name while on board. After taking her into a room for extensive questioning and scanning the old woman’s luggage for her fingerprints, the traveler was proved innocent and released.
From that day forward, the young traveler vowed never to touch anyone else’s luggage in the airport or onboard flights. What was merely a kind gesture almost landed her in a foreign prison for drug trafficking. While it is always good to help others, keep this story in mind the next time a stranger in the airport asks you to hold or carry their belongings. They could need much more than a helping hand.