Delta Air Lines reunited a 1-year-old, Kenley, with a doll after she lost it while traveling.
But this was no ordinary doll: It was a “daddy doll,” meaning one with an image of her father, who is currently deployed, on it. It also has a speaker that plays a recorded message from him.
Her mother, Arielle Britton shared a photo of the missing doll on Facebook: “Hi, I’m Kenley’s daddy doll. I go everywhere she goes because her dada is deployed. We were traveling back home yesterday and I seemed to have gotten lost somewhere between the Hartford Connecticut airport and the Atlanta airport.” USA TODAY has reached out to Britton for more information.
Once the airline discovered the issue on social media, it took action.
“We became aware of the missing doll on Twitter and after reaching out to a number of folks across the country in different departments across the company, we were able to track down the doll and got the opportunity to deliver it and a few gifts from Delta to the little girl yesterday afternoon in the Savannah airport,” Delta Air Lines spokesperson Drake Castañeda told USA TODAY.
Britton kept people in the loop via Facebook updates. “Daddy Doll has been found! Thank you delta employees, atlairport and everyone who shared my post in making this happen! He was found on the plane and is making his way back home to Kenley! We cannot thank everyone enough,” Britton wrote in the post.
“The Hartford airport was also heavily involved and has contacted us to send Kenley a package,” she added.
“We found your doll, Kenley!” the airline tweeted. “He’s missed you, but don’t worry. We’re bringing him home.”
In a video provided by Delta of Kenley receiving the doll and other gifts, Britton says that it’s “like Christmas” as her daughterperuses the items, including American flags.
The airline also posted photos of the reunion with this caption: “Mission accomplished! Kenley and her doll are together again. And we found them the perfect friend,” apparently referring to a stuffed plane.
“We are so happy that our Delta people were able to work together to return this special doll to Kenley,” Delta spokesperson Maria Moraitakis told USA TODAY.
Delta isn’t the only airline paying it forward lately: A boy lost his teddy bear on a recent Southwest flight, and the airline sent him a new one.
___
© 2020 USA Today
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
