Up until his final days, Frishkorn served as both a flight attendant and union representative. In that latter role, he spent recent days in the crew lounge in Philadelphia (PHL), answering questions and calming nervous crewmembers about COVID-19. Then he contracted the virus himself
Sara Nelson, the powerful President of the Association of Flight Attendants, told CNN:
"He was amazing, and totally selfless, and just a ... good soldier who never asked for any recognition, other than to make sure people were taken care of."
That's a great testimony to his character.
American Airlines added:
"Earlier this week, we lost a respected, longtime member of the American Airlines family, who tested positive for COVID-19.
"Our hearts go out to Paul's family and friends, many of whom work for American. We are working directly with Paul's family to ensure they are cared for during this extraordinarily difficult time."
The sad thing is that with state and local governments working aggressively to contain the spread of this virus, a public funeral or memorial for Frishkorn will like have to wait...potentially many months.
As I wrote a couple days ago when an Untied Airlines ramp worker passed away due to COVID-19, we live in a time when deaths are mounting so rapidly many human stories are buried. By all accounts, Frishkorn was a tireless advocate for his colleagues and a well-respected flight attendant at American Airlines. My thoughts and prayers are with his family today.