‘Aladdin’ actress flies from Europe to Broadway in a race against time to make the opening curtain call
For those of us who haven’t yet scoured the Cave of Wonders in search of mystical trinkets and sentient carpets, an international race against the clock is just about the most stressful situation imaginable. Such a scenario was what actress Mikayla Renfrow found herself in when she was told she had to play Jasmine in that night’s performance of Aladdin. Sounds like an exciting opportunity, doesn’t it? The only problem was that she was in Europe at the time and only had about four hours to get to Broadway.
On the way back from a European vacation, Renfrow learned the revelation mid-flight, even though it seemed impossible for her to make it to the show, which started at 7 p.m., when her plane landed around 5 p.m. It’s a miracle that only Robin Williams’ genius could imagine, but the staff on that Delta Airlines flight managed to pull out all the stops to get Renfrow there ball On-time performance, including promotion to first class, escort through customs, and helicopter transfer across the Hudson.
With inspirational music playing throughout and every single Delta employee she meets doing their best to support Mikayla on her epic journey (Leisha the flight attendant even came to watch the show!), this TikTok could be like one real advertising for the company would work and you wouldn’t blink. “[Delta] “I just found your new commercial,” one commenter wrote, perhaps giving Delta advertisers some ideas. On the other hand, others found the whole thing ironic given their own, less Disney-inspired experiences with the airline: “Delta lost my suitcase once and then told me it was my fault. I’m happy for you though.”
In many ways, Mikayla’s magical ride is the exception that proves the rule, because obviously most people don’t have nearly as special a time with air travel. A study of North American airline satisfaction In 2023, overall passenger satisfaction was found to have fallen by seven points compared to 2022, with dissatisfaction with costs and fees in particular increasing by a whopping 17 points. An analysis of airline customer satisfaction since 1995 shows that even after a sharp downturn in the mid-2010s, Delta is actually relatively well-regarded right now, even if it can’t match the popularity of certain competitors like Alaska Airlines and Jet Blue.
Not all of us experience a flight straight out of a fairy tale, but of course it helps if you’re a real Disney princess.
