Baudoux's Facebook thank you note to Jetstar has been liked 28,000 times

A mother has posted a heartfelt note to the airline Jetstar for the understanding and care shown by its staff after her autistic son became too frightened to fly.

Shelley Baudoux was trying to fly from Melbourne Airport to see her father in Launceston, Tasmania, but her 10-year-old son, Corey, became too scared to board the flight, which had to depart without them.

Baudoux, who was also travelling with her nine-year-old daughter, was eventually forced to abandon the trip after Corey refused to board the next departure. Jetstar's staff showed such compassion during the ordeal - the pilot even came out to talk to Corey - that she posted a thank you note to its Facebook page which has been shared over 1,600 times and liked 28,000 times.

This is the note that mother Shelley Baudoux wrote on the Jetstar Facebook page commending the way they helped with her son's autism

Ms Baudoux has praised Jetstar after her autistic son found it too difficult to board a plane in Melbourne

As the group were preparing to board their booked flight, Corey became agitated and would not walk out onto the tarmac to enter the aircraft.

On the posting, Ms Baudoux writes: 'The staff there, two dark-haired hostesses were very helpful trying to help me and a ground control man named Glen even came and spoke to my son and offered to let him wear his jacket and coax him onto the plane.'

Sadly for the family, Corey was unable to board, and so the family were told by Jetstar staff that they would try and accommodate them on the next flight out.

However, Corey's stress and agitation remained, and the same situation played out again - he was 'very distressed and upset,' wrote Ms Baudoux.

But once again, she highlighted the understanding and efforts of the airline staff in the situation.

She wrote: 'Again the staff went above and beyond to try and help get him on the plane. They didn't rush us, gave us plenty of time to talk him through it and were there every step of the way for me, my daughter and my son.

'Then the pilot, Cameron, took the time to come out, chat to my son and offer for him to take a seat in the cockpit once we arrived in Launceston.

'I was totally blown away with their understanding, help and encouragement.'

The mother-of-two goes on to explain that despite the hold-ups, at no point was she made to feel rushed or pressurised by airline staff.

She describes how one 'blonde haired hostess', took time out of her schedule to stay with the family after the decision was made to cancel their trip.

'She stayed with us the whole time,' adds Ms Baudoux.

'She offered to take my daughter to Tasmania herself, but that wasn't an option. She came and took our boarding passes and assured us we would get a full refund.'

The hostess bought a lemonade for Corey in the terminal, which his mother says is 'his favourite.'

Sadly for the Baudoux family, they were forced to cancel their Jetstar flight bookings

Jetstar replied: 'Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us. I'm glad to to hear that our team were able to assist you with sensitivity and care. We work really hard to offer excellent customer service at every interaction, and it's very rewarding for our team to be acknowledged by our customers to let them know what they're getting right.

'I can assure you that I've already passed on your kind words to our team at Melbourne airport and their managers. I know they'll appreciate you contacting us.

'I hope that you can get to Tassie to visit your family and we look foward to welcoming you all on board soon.'

Speaking to MailOnline Travel, Daniel Cadey, autism access development manager at the National Autistic Society in the UK said: 'It's extremely heartening to hear stories like these, where staff transform a potentially stressful situation for autistic people and their families, simply by showing compassion and understanding.

'Flying can be difficult for many autistic people. This could be due to sensory sensitivity, which means that strong smells or bright lights on planes can be physically painful. Also, many autistic people rely on routines to navigate what can be a confusing and unpredictable world and unfamiliar environments, like airports and planes, can cause them extreme anxiety.

'At the National Autistic Society, we know that a little bit of understanding can make all the difference, as JetStar's kind actions did for Shelley Baudoux. We have been working with airports in the UK to increase their understanding of autism and bring in small, helpful changes, such as clearer signage, increased staff understanding of autism, and providing clear information on their websites to help people prepare for their trip.

'We all expect to be able to take a plane for our holidays or business and it's important that airports and airlines know what they can do to make flying as easy as possible for people on the autism spectrum and their families.'