Flight delays and cancellations at Reagan National Airport are just about as common as any other airport. So, the cancellation of a JetBlue flight to New York City wouldn’t normally be that surprising. What raised the attention of its passengers was the reason admitted by its pilots. They admitted to being too tired to fly.

Emily Galvin-Almanza was on the jetway when she witnessed the commotion that preceded the announcement of her flight’s cancellation. She said, “The pilots were on the phone, and then they appeared to be in heated conversation with the gate agents for a long time. Then the gate agent came back and told us the flight was canceled because the pilots were tapped out.”

Emily tweeted about the incident, noting the tone of frustration from other would-be passengers. But she had the opposite reaction. “I felt safer knowing the pilots knew when to say they were done, and I'd rather be alive than on time.”

Furthermore, she said she was concerned by what she thought were gate agents trying to dissuade the pilots from their decision. Emily said, “I found that really concerning, actually, since I don't ‘want’ to be on a flight with a tapped-out crew. I was worried they'd un-cancel the flight and put me in an unsafe position.”

Nevertheless, the flight crew remained adamant. In a tweet that received more than 6,000 likes, she expressed her gratitude: “I'm incredibly grateful to them for being honest and not risking my safety to please an angry crowd. Thank you.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

As John Ortberg famously said, sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap. Being dedicated to the work of God means attending to the needs of body, soul and spirit, and especially getting rest when you need it, so that you can be most effective during your waking hours.