Dad takes daughter trick-or-treating on plane so she doesn’t miss Halloween

Stephanie Kahan

A father on a flight from Boston on Halloween night is winning praise after he brought his young daughter down the aisle to go trick-or-treating so that she didn’t miss out on the spooky holiday while the family was traveling.

Stephanie Kahan, who was on the plane from Boston to San Francisco, said the father approached passengers during the Virgin America flight out of Logan International Airport and handed them treats with a small note attached.

“My three-year-old daughter, Molly, was bummed that she wouldn’t be able to go trick-or-treating this year due to this flight... so I decided to bring trick-or-treating to her,” the note said. “If you are willing, when my little donut comes down the aisle, please drop this in her basket. You’ll be making her Halloween! If you’re unwilling, no worries, just pass the treat back to me. Thanks so much!”

The words were typed out in orange letters with a green headline, and formed the shape of a pumpkin.

Kahan told the Globe in an e-mail that the girl, wearing a doughnut costume, politely walked up to passengers, said “trick-or-treat,” and collected her candy for Halloween as the plane made its way to California.

“Everyone seemed to be really touched and excited to participate,” said Kahan. “It was a real heartwarming moment.”

Kahan posted on Twitter an image of the note that the father had handed out to passengers, and a picture of Molly walking up to people on the flight as she went trick-or-treating. Within hours, the images had been shared nearly 50,000 times.

Stephanie Kahan

Kahan said the father of the little girl had asked to keep his name out of the media when she told him that the Twitter post had gone viral. But she said he seemed “very humbled” that people appreciated his fatherly act.

“He was shocked at how much attention my post had received,” she said. “He said it was great to see that it made so many people happy, and funny that his daughter was blissfully unaware.”

In reaction to the viral photos, one person told Kahan on Twitter, “This just touches my heart.”

Another said, “love is a dad who makes sure his daughter never misses out.”

Joseph Jaya, the first officer on the flight, said in a statement that it was “great” to see Molly deplane with a bag of candy and a “huge smile on her face.”

“I added to her collection and also gave her a special pin with a set of wings, as a token for making our flight extra fun,” said Jaya.