Seat 23A Pay it forward
By Kevin Sparrock
I
purposely grabbed an 8 am flight to get some extra rest. I knew I would have a challenging game to officiate the night before when Syracuse plays Wake Forest in conference play. In the hotel room, I stayed up late to review game film and break down my performance. I had a 6 am wake up, and I made my way to the airport. Amidst a pandemic, I am thankful that United Airlines kept my flight status. After being a frequent flyer for over 20 years, I just needed to fly a set number of segments to maintain my Silver status, and this allowed me to get that occasional free upgrade to the first-class cabin. I hadn’t received an upgrade in a while, but to my surprise, when boarding began, I received an email instructing me that I the upgraded to Seat 1C. Even with a short hour and a half flight, I was appreciative. For obvious safety reasons, COVID19 caused United Airlines to change its boarding process. Currently, passengers start boarding from the rear of the plane, and it didn’t matter that I was in first class. I would be boarding last, but I wasn’t in a rush. I could avoid overcrowding on the jetway, and being in first class after a challenging game, felt like Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing and a side of gravy. Don’t forget the mashed potatoes. The United Airlines gate agent announced, “Now boarding row 23”. A young woman in military camouflage uniform with a colossal backpack stood up and began to approach the jetway. I was too far away to see what branch of the service she represented, but I assumed she was either Army or National Guard. She might have been all of 5 foot 5 inches tall. The backpack was almost as big as her body, but she was doing her thing. She threw the bag over her shoulder and was on her way. She ended a conversation with a fellow passenger, smiling as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She’s in 23. That’s the last row of the plane. The thought came to mind to give up my first-class seat to the young lady. Giving up my seat wasn’t a first for me. Once, my wife and I traveled together on vacation, and I could get her an upgrade. My wife wanted to sit with me during the flight, and there weren’t
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