An Arizona family faced with a horrible tragedy is praising a pilot for displaying an act of human kindness unusual in the airline industry: delaying takeoff in order to allow them to make the funeral of a beloved family member. 
 
 The family ran into a problem familiar to many travelers -- a flight delay -- on their way to Tennessee. The family was headed to the funeral of Jay W. Short, a 56-year-old husband and father of three who died on Dec. 16 after losing a battle to lung cancer about five months after being diagnosed. 
 
 A 90-minute delay in the family’s flight from Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport left them with about 7 minutes to make a connecting flight in Minneapolis, which was the last plane flying to Memphis that day. The funeral was scheduled for the following morning. 
 
 "This was our last chance to say goodbye to my dad and if we missed the flight we would [have] missed the funeral," Nicole Short-Wibel, Jay’s daughter, told ABC News. 
 
 By the time the family dashed to the gate in the Minneapolis Airport, the door to the jet way was closed and the Tennessee-bound plane was taxiing toward the runway. It was then that airport workers delivered the news to the family -- it was too late to make it on board. 
 
 "My son and I are waving our arms at the pilots and the ground crew as my two daughters are crying their eyes out. We are pleading for them to not take off," Marcia Short, Jay’s wife, wrote in a post that was displayed on her daughter’s Facebook page. "If we did not get on that flight we would miss the funeral. We had to get to Memphis." 
 
 The pilot, Capt. Adam Cohen, saw the desperation on their faces through the airport windows. That’s when he made an unprecedented move -- turning the plane back to ensure the family made it on board. 
 
 Cohen flies for Endeavor Air, a regional airline carrier owned by Delta Air Lines. 
 
 Marcia Short said on Facebook that Cohen and his first officer "Blessed my family and gave us a gift that no one else could. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts." 
 
 "It meant the world," Short-Wibel said. 
 
 Cohen’s decision and the attention it has received has not gone unnoticed by his employer. 
 
 "This Endeavor Air pilot’s decision to return to the gate in this special circumstance is a great reflection of the human touch we want all Delta customers to experience when flying with us," a Delta spokesperson said in a statement. 
 
 Cohen said that helping the family had a big impact on him and the crew. 
 
 "This is something we’ll take with us, knowing we made a difference," Cohen said. "Little moments like this to us are big to these customers and keep them coming back to Delta, but at the end of the day, it also keeps us going." 
 
 While Delta praised Cohen's decision, airline analysts said it's one that could have gotten him in trouble with his employer if it had worked out differently. 
 
 In order for the pilot to hold the flight, he had to risk "the censure of his company," ABC News Aviation analyst John Nance said. 
 
 "The door is always closed on time because the most important thing to airlines is on time departure records," said Nance. ||||| A family frantically rushing to catch a flight on their way to their loved one's funeral received a surprise gift from two Delta pilots. 
 
 J.W. Short's (Jay) last wish was to be buried with his family in Bolivar, Tennessee. After losing his battle with lung cancer at the age of 56 on December 16, his family worked diligently to make that last wish come true. 
 
 Short's wife booked flights from their home in Phoenix, Arizona, to make their way to Memphis so they could attend the funeral in Bolivar. 
 
 Jay's body had been placed on a flight from Arizona to Memphis on Saturday, December 19, just one day before his funeral. 
 
 "After a long ordeal to get everything taken care of, he (Jay) was finally on a flight Saturday morning and the funeral was scheduled Sunday," Short's wife, Marcia, said. "We booked our flight on Delta also to leave Saturday afternoon. Our three children and I sat on the tarmac at Sky Harbor in Phoenix, Arizona for an hour waiting for the okay to fly due to some damage to the cargo doors." 
 
 The delay caused problems for the family when they reached their connecting flight in St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minnesota. 
 
 "The delay gave us seven minutes to get to the gate. With only two minutes to spare, we got to the gate and the attendant was not at the podium. The sky way was pulling away from the plane," Marcia said. 
 
 She said she and her children began waving to the pilot and the ground crew trying to get their attention. 
 
 "We are pleading for them to not take off. The attendant came out of the sky way and said there was nothing she could do, as the door had already been closed. We continued to plead," Marcia said. "If we did not get on that flight, we would miss the funeral. We had to get to Memphis." 
 
 Marci said she and her son continued waving at the pilots and ground crew while her two daughters stood crying. She said the attendant contacted her supervisor and the supervisor said there was nothing they could do. 
 
 The family was told they would be put on a flight to Atlanta and then they could drive from Atlanta to the funeral in Bolivar, Tennessee. 
 
 "This was not going to work and the plane was still outside the window. My son still waving his arms and pleading with the pilot through the floor to ceiling windows. I was crying and attempting to console my girls when the phone rang," Marcia said. "The pilot was pulling back to the gate to let us board the plane." 
 
 Marci and her family made it to Bolivar and the funeral for her husband of 32 years, thanks to two Delta pilots who turned their plane around for them. 
 
 "These pilots did not have to pull back to the gate," Marcia said. 
 
 As for the reason why the pilots chose to turn around, the family is not sure if they realized the reason the family was upset or not, but are thankful they were led to do something that is almost unheard of in the airline industry. 
 
 "I don't know if they (attendants) told the pilot what was going on. I am assuming the pilots may have called and asked what was going on," Ginger Short, Jay's sister who lives in Bolivar, said. "They just don't do that." 
 
 Although the family does not know the first names of the pilots, they were able to see their names on their ID badges. 
 
 "Pilots Adams and Anderson of flight DL 3955 on December 19, 2015 from MPLS-St Paul to Memphis on Delta Airlines have blessed my family and gave us a gift that no one else could. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and may you both be blessed ten fold," Marcia said. 
 
 Copyright 2015 WMC Action News 5. All rights reserved. ||||| Over the past week, Delta Air Lines has encountered epic travel delays after unprecedented storms forced the cancellation of thousands of flights. 
 
 This weekend, my family and I profited from Delta's travel woes — big time. We made $11k. Here's how we did it and why I'm not such a snob about getting bumped any more. 
 
 I travel a lot for my career, and when I’m headed somewhere, I want to get there. As a travel editor, I’ve run stories about people who make a profession out of getting bumped by the airlines. And yet, I’ve always quietly scoffed at travelers who would give up a seat on a flight in exchange for a voucher. Not my thing. 
 
 On Friday morning, I was flying from New York City to Florida with my husband and daughter. The bad weather had passed, so I thought we had escaped the wrath. 
 
 After hours of delays, Delta Airlines started offering money for volunteers to give up their tickets on our overbooked flight, which had 60 (sixty!) standby passengers hoping to get a seat. I didn’t flinch. My husband and daughter and I were headed to Fort Lauderdale to see our relatives, and — as far as I was concerned — nothing would hold us back. 
 
 When the compensation for volunteers got to $900 a ticket in gift cards (American Express, Target, Macy’s and so on), my husband convinced me to consider the offer. I thought it was too low to delay our vacation, but our plans were flexible, so I said I was open to the idea. My husband approached the gate agent and offered to give up our seats for $1,500 apiece. She countered: $1,350 each. 
 
 Other frustrated passengers were yelling at the staff and crying over vexed travel plans. Somehow, when an airline is offering you and your family $4,050, missing a flight doesn’t seem so bad. We could have also scored a free hotel room near the airport and complimentary dinner, but we live about 20 minutes from LaGuardia, so we volunteered to give up our seats and headed home with a big chunk of change in American Express gift cards and confirmed seats for a Saturday flight. 
 
 Watch more on Forbes: 
 
 I have been a loyal Delta customer for years. The airline has one of the best track records in the industry. In fact, CNN recently reported that Delta went 161 straight days without a cancellation in 2016 — including disruptions due to both maintenance and weather. 
 
 The staff handled the situation seamlessly and professionally. My husband and I kept saying to each other: “This was the best travel day ever!” Making more than $4,000 on Friday didn’t hurt, mind you. 
 
 When I went to check in online on Saturday and saw that the flight was delayed by more than an hour and that Delta was already asking for volunteers to give up their seats, I turned to my husband and said, “Cha-ching!” 
 
 Indeed, when we got to the airport, the airline started offering money to volunteers…$300…$600…$900…$1,000...$1,300. Bingo! We took the offer. The airline ended up giving us two gift cards at $1,300 each and (surprise!) a third at $1,350. Delta also threw in lunch ($15 each) and round-trip taxi fare (worth about $50). That's more than $4,000, if you factor in everything. The airline assured us that we would get confirmed seats on Sunday. 
 
 I felt a bit guilty making so much money off the situation, but other passengers pointed out that we were freeing up seats for people who really needed to get somewhere. Many passengers actually thanked us for doing this. 
 
 After our flight departed, we waited. And waited. And waited. But the airline was still struggling to figure out the rebooking and get us three confirmed seats the next day. We found out that standby passengers were being told that Delta flights to Florida were fully booked (in fact, overbooked) until Tuesday. We were drained, and suddenly our long-weekend trip was looking far less appealing. 
 
 So when we suggested to the gate agent that we might be open to volunteering our seats again by cancelling the trip altogether, the offer was met with smiles and another $1,000 per person in advance compensation. Delta sweetened the deal by refunding the cost of the three plane tickets. We accepted Delta's offer and went home, sad to miss our trip, but not so sad about the lucrative results. 
 
 Granted, it didn't work out for many other travelers. Over the course of two days, we heard horror stories about families with little kids sleeping at the airport and people missing weddings and funerals. No gift card will compensate for life interruptions like that. (And my own father is still stuck in Indianapolis as I write this.) But we can't complain. 
 
 Do the math — my family and I were given exactly $11,000 in American Express gift cards, plus a little extra in food and taxi vouchers. And because we were staying with family and didn't need to cancel a hotel or car rental, it didn’t cost us anything besides our time (and a missed trip). 
 
 A recent study from MileCards.com analyzed data from the Department of Transportation's March 2017 Air Travel Consumer Report and determined that Delta is the airline most likely to pay people for volunteering their seats, compensating 10 out of every 10,000 bumped passengers. But according to the Department of Transportation, it's pretty rare: In 2016, only 6.6 out of every 10,000 passengers became volunteers who earned compensation for taking another flight or cancelling their plans. 
 
 Still, one gate agent confessed that there are people who take the art of bumping very seriously and make thousands upon thousands of dollars. And now, I understand it. I really do. I’m already starting to think about how I can get bumped off other flights. This could be a new career. 
 
 Read on for 10 things to know about getting bumped from a plane, some ways to increase your chances — and how to get compensated handsomely. And for more tips on how to game the airlines, check out these tips from professional travel hackers. 
 
 1. Consider the timing. Airlines routinely overbook flights with the assumption that a certain percentage of passengers will cancel. Flights during busy travel seasons (hello spring break!) and the last flight of the day are more likely to be overbooked. In that case, the airline will ask for volunteers to give up their seats or bump passengers to another flight. 
 
 2. Know your rights. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires airlines to compensate you by law if you’re bumped off a plane, even if you’re bumped involuntarily. Insist on being paid. If your delay doesn't exceed an hour and the airline puts you on another flight, you're not entitled to compensation. Be aware that the rules go out the window with weather-related delays or delays for safety reasons; rules also vary outside the U.S. Whatever you do, don't arrive at your gate late. The airlines can use this as a way to avoid compensating you. I saw this happen to a family of four who lingered at the restaurant too long and lost their seats when they weren't at the gate 15 minutes before departure time. The airline gave away their seats to people on the standby list. No gift cards for them. (And probably no vacation, either.) 
 
 3. Do your research. If your flight still has available seats, it probably won’t get overbooked. If the flight is close to full or sold out, there are increased odds that the airline will bump passengers. 
 
 4. Ask! When you get to the gate, head straight to the agent and see if the airline is looking for volunteers. Tell them you only want to give up your seat for a good offer. 
 
 5. Don't stray too far from the podium. You don’t want to miss the call for volunteers and you want to be the first person to volunteer when the gate agent offers a good figure. 
 
 6. Be careful. A guy on one of our flights said he might be interested in volunteering when he wasn’t really sure. The gate agent took that at face value and gave his seat away. He changed his mind and regretted it, but it was too late. If the airline doesn’t end up needing as many seats, it can also break up families. Once you volunteer, the airline can take away your seat — and make your partner or child fly without you. 
 
 7. Don’t get too greedy. Some airlines (as we encountered with Delta) conduct auctions. The airline will give preference to people who volunteer for less. 
 
 8. Consider the form of compensation. Some airlines offer travel vouchers; some offer cash or gift cards. Think about what makes most sense. Some flight vouchers expire within a year; some gift cards expire even sooner. Cash is the best bet, if you can get it. 
 
 9. Don’t check luggage. My suitcase went to Fort Lauderdale without me. Same thing happened to another family, whose luggage was filled with frozen Passover dishes (they said that their $5,000+ in compensation was sufficient to let the food spoil). The airline says I will get my suitcase back, and I am hopeful. Lesson learned: Fly with carryon bags. It makes it easier if you get rerouted or cancel the flight. 
 
 10. Above all, be nice! After hanging out at the counter for hours and hours over the course of two days, I began to notice some trends. Screaming doesn’t work. Crying doesn’t work. Being nice? Now, that works. My husband bought lunch for a couple of gate agents who mentioned that they had worked through their break. I brought water to another agent who said he had come to work at 3 a.m. to help out and was dehydrated. These airline employees went above and beyond to help us out. And that's good karma. 
 
 Update: On 4/10/17, statistics from the Department of Transportation's March 2017 Air Travel Consumer Report were added to this story.
– In the week before Christmas, one Delta Air Lines pilot gave a grieving Arizona family a "gift that no one else could," Tucson News Now reports. Father of three Jay Short died after a battle with lung cancer Dec. 16. Three days later, his family was attempting to fly to Tennessee for the funeral scheduled for the next morning. But a 90-minute delay at the Phoenix airport left them only seven minutes to make their connecting flight in Minnesota, according to ABC News. "This was our last chance to say goodbye to my dad, and if we missed the flight we would [have] missed the funeral," Jay's daughter says. But when they arrived at the gate, the last plane of the day to Memphis was pulling away from the gate. "My son [was] waving his arms and pleading with the pilot through the floor to ceiling windows," News Now quotes Marcia. "I was crying and attempting to console my girls when the phone rang. The pilot was pulling back to the gate to let us board the plane." According to ABC, Capt. Adam Cohen saw the "desperation on their faces" through the gate's windows and decided to turn the plane around. Airline experts point out Cohen could have easily gotten in trouble for the unusual decision, though in this case, Delta has only praised the move. "This is something we’ll take with us, knowing we made a difference," Cohen tells ABC. (Another pilot ordered pizza for his stuck passengers.)