I was in Europe during the Great Banking Failure of 2008. I was in London and was heading up to Stockholm. A quick kayak.com search found the cheapest airfare was on an Icelandic airline named "Sterling". I'd never heard of it, but then, I'm an 'merican, so I haven't heard of most of the European carries. So I sign on, for like 80 euro one way to Stockholm as I wouldn't be returning directly to London.

My flight was at around 7 in the morning, which meant getting up at 4 and hurrying from the Islington area in Central London to the airport. I still have to hustle to make sure I'm on time, and I really make tracks to get there.

And then the plane is late, and I'm stuck waiting at Stansted Airport for a couple hours. Ah whatever, such is the nature of airports. It really wasn't such a big deal.

But then I get the most surprising, strange, somewhat wonderful email I've ever gotten from an airline:

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Dear Guest,

Please allow me to be the first to apologize for the very unfortunate circumstances surrounding the delay of your flight on the 15th of October 2008.

We are aware of our responsibility and we would of course very much like to maintain the trust your have shown Sterling. Having said this I would like to explain the cause for this delay and hope you can accept this apology on behalf of Sterling and myself.

I can inform you that we did everything possible to avoid the delay, which unfortunately happened due to a number of different causes. Sterling had unfortunately 2 aircraft that had to stay on ground because of technical problems, together with the fact our route network, which is built up as a coherent schedule, dependant on all aircraft serviceable and available, resulted in multiple delays, including your departure.

Of course, we tried to find alternative flights, but we were not able to fly at the precise time we needed them for and therefore had no other choice but to delay your flight. Sterling sets safety above all other concerns which we hope our guests understand and appreciate.

That being said, I can assure you that we are fully aware that the circumstances that you endured in connection with the delay were neither a pleasant beginning nor conclusion to your journey, and this is highly regrettable.

In light of the above circumstances and by way of acknowledgement that your experience was not the best with Sterling, I would like to offer you and your possible travel companion a gift certificate for 1 one way flight within Europe. The gift certificate will be valid until 10th of October 2009 and will be sent by e-mail, together with another copy of this letter.

In closing, I would like to take the opportunity once more to offer my regrets about the delay and I hope that you will accept the above offer and allow us to welcome both you and your companion to enjoy a more positive experience with us in future.

Best regards
Sterling Airlines

Michael T Hansen
Chief Commercial Officer

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I got that email on October 17th, and I thought to myself, "Wow, those Icelanders are alright." The airline went bust 12 days later.