Shakes on a plane: Former POTUS Carter greets every passenger on flight to DC (VIDEO)

The US airlines industry has had a terrible start to 2017 – but thankfully, former US President Jimmy Carter was on hand to provide some positive PR and a feelgood story that’s gone viral around the world.

Journalist James Parker Sheffield captured the moment that the 39th president warmly greeted each and every one of his fellow passengers on board the Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to Washington DC on June 8.  

"I was definitely shocked," said Sheffield, as cited by Fox News. "Who expects a president to be on their commercial flight, let alone making an effort to greet every passenger? Everyone seemed genuinely excited and the overall sentiment was that it was really nice to have that kind of moment where party or politics didn't matter."

"He didn't say much, because he was also trying to be mindful of the flight needing to leave, but that smile said everything for him. He was very authentic in his interaction with each individual," Sheffield added.

“It was very apparent that he enjoys interacting with people and was authentically happy to greet us,” Sheffield told People magazine. “You never expect to have a president on your commercial flight, so that in and of itself was surprising. For me personally, it meant a lot because I was headed to DC for Trans Lobby Day. To kickoff going to speak to my elected officials with a handshake from President Carter felt extremely patriotic.”

Carter was flying to DC for the funeral for his former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, according to ABC News.

READ MORE: Zbigniew Brzezinski, US Cold War national security advisor, dies at 89

Not everyone appreciated the former president’s gesture, however.