The Cycladic island of Ios is a rocky, mountainous environment of winding roads sometimes blocked by herds of bleating goats and sleepy villages hugging cerulean coastlines. In the 1960s, backpackers discovered the nearly untouched island and it became known as a hippie haven, hosting all-night beach parties, with a handful of cheap bars operating in the Chora (main town). A few decades later, nearby Santorini and Mykonos began to outshine their neighbor, attracting hordes of tourists each summer and investing in new developments. Meanwhile, Ios only got electricity across the entire island in the 1970s and most residents here are goat herders or farmers. Today, Mykonos has taken the nightlife crown and both it and Santorini have become severely over-touristed. Ios on the other hand, remains a quiet, mostly undeveloped paradise.
After a travel host accidentally gave a Delta customer service rep a bad review, the airline threw a surprise party to honor the worker
27.10.2023 - 09:37 / insider.com / Delta
When Samantha Brown accidentally rated a Delta Airlines representative poorly after a call, she panicked and wanted to rectify the situation. Her quick action led the airline to eventually throw a surprise party for the employee — where Brown was then able to meet the woman who assisted her on that fateful day.
Brown, a longtime travel host known for her work on the Travel Channel and PBS, made a TikTok video about the situation on October 3. In the viral clip, which amassed over 8.9 million views, she urged Delta to get in touch so she could remedy her mistake and give the "amazing" representative five-stars.
"I gave one of your customer service representatives a 1 when I meant 5," Brown said in the clip, explaining that she's a Diamond/Platinum Delta member, which made her worry that her opinion could have negative ramifications for Heinisch.
"She had a soft southern accent," Brown said at the end. "Please, please, can I take it back? She's a five, she's definitely a five."
Oct 3 6:45am.her name Julie. She is a Five!
Brown, who has 160,000 followers, told Insider she called Delta to fix a reservation she was making for a flight from New York City to Tampa, and Heinisch was very helpful in assisting.
The TikTok quickly took off, with hundreds of people tagging Delta and celebrating Heinisch. In a comment, Brown wrote that she called Delta back, and while the representative (someone who wasn't Heinisch) said they couldn't retract a rating, they could leave a note describing the error.
The video eventually reached the official TikTok account for Delta, whose social media rep urged Brown in a comment to DM the company.
A man who identified himself as Heinisch's husband — Greg Heinisch — also commented and said: "That was my wife you spoke with this morning. She's great! I'm glad she was able to help you out."
In a follow-up comment, Heinisch appeared to respond to Brown on her husband's account.
"It's Julie! No worries!" the account wrote. "So sweet of you to even be concerned about it and call Delta back! I think you boosted my popularity @ work!"
While it seemed like the situation was resolved, that wasn't the end of it. Last week, Brown returned to TikTok with an update: Delta threw a surprise party to celebrate Heinisch, who has worked at Delta for 26 years.
The party took place on October 16, and Delta organized it so Brown would make a pit stop in Atlanta, where Delta's main campus is located, on her way back home to New York City.
Brown told Insider that when Delta saw her video and realized that Heinisch had worked for the company for 26 years, it decided it was the "perfect time to get some cupcakes and have a little party." Based on conversations she had with workers at the event, it
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