Flight attendant gives emotional speech on final flight to encourage togetherness

A cabin supervisor, who is based in New Zealand, delivered an emotional speech while completing what would be her final flight, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cassy Appleton shared the clip to Facebook after Virgin Australia announced the closure of all New Zealand bases, leaving around 8,000 employees out of work. While Appleton acknowledged that it would be her final flight for the "foreseeable future", she also took the opportunity to send a message of unity to all onboard.

"To my crew, words don’t come close to sharing the family bond that we all share. The friendships, hardships, laughter and tears," she said.

"It’s remarkable how we’ve all banded together during this chaos, and I’m so proud of how you continue to hold your heads high. Tough times don’t last, tough people do. We’re all in this together. We truly hope to see you in the sky again soon. Kia kaha."

Sharing the clip to the social media platform after Virgin Australia confirmed its decision, Appleton captioned the post: "Today I lost my wings. Today we received confirmation that Virgin are shutting down our NZ bases. Emotions are indescribable. This was my final announcement the other day. My final flight (Sorry she’s a bit long)".

"Having this opportunity was the best thing that happened to my life and to say I’m beyond grateful is an understatement. My heart is breaking for us all today.

I’ve achieved soo much in this role, from travelling to buying a new car, from fixing my teeth to becoming debt free, from donating 4000 bras to Fijian women to living my most charitable years.

Whilst I’m hurting for my loss I’m also counting my lucky stars to have been so blessed with this incredible opportunity. Signing off one last time. One door closes another one opens!! Aroha Mai, Aroha Atu xxx."
Per Aerotime, on March 25th Virgin Australia confirmed that it would be cutting its domestic fleet to 90%, with the budget carrier, Tigerair Australia, grounding all its domestic services immediately.

The airline also announced that 8,000 jobs would be suspended, a figure which represents approximately 80% of its workforce. This decision was reportedly made after considering the latest travel advice from federal and state governments.