Airline workers often go above and beyond to provide excellent customer service. But what Southwest Airlines customer service agent Ismael Lazo recently did for one of the passengers is really special.
Back in May 2022, the University of Tampa student Kira Rumfola was set to board a flight with Southwest Airlines to head home to Long Island. However, once she got to the airport, she encountered a problem. Her pet Theo, a colorful betta fish, wasn’t allowed on the plane. The airline had a strict policy that only allowed small cats and dogs to fly with their owners.
Rumfola and Theo found themselves in a tough situation. Rumfola’s friends and roommates had already left the university, and she couldn’t find anyone to take care of Theo. Seeing how distressed the student was about the situation, Lazo decided to step in.
He offered Rumfola to look after Theo while she was at home, and she could then pick it up after coming back to the university. Being left without a choice, Rumfola accepted the proposal.
“It was so nice that he would take on the responsibility of watching my fish,” Rumfola recalled in a chat with Washington Post. “I knew I’d miss Theo over the summer, but I was thankful to know he’d be cared for.”
During the summer, Lazo not only took care of Theo, but he gave Rumfola updates about its well-being as well. He and his fiancée even bought a new fish tank for the fish to make him feel happy until its owner returned.
Once her summer vacation ended, Rumfola reunited with Theo and couldn’t be happier to see her pet again.
“I’m really grateful that he stepped up to help,” Rumfola said. “Four months is a long time, but Theo seems pretty happy.”
Lazo, on the other hand, was glad he could help.
“To be honest, I was worried about something happening to him on our watch,” Lazo explained. “So I was happy for Kira to have him back.”
Southwest Airlines was also proud of their worker and his kindness, deciding to share the story in a thread on Twitter.
