Rav Aharon Soloveitchik ZT”L would regularly commute between his home in Chicago and New York City. For many years, he made the trip to teach the advanced Talmud class (Shiur) at Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanon, stepping in after his brother, Rav Yosef Baer Soloveitchik ZT”L, stopped teaching the Shiur. In addition to his teaching, Rav Aharon also served as the Rav HaMachshir - the Rabbi responsible for overseeing the Kosher certification of Streits’ Matzoh in New York.
Despite the demanding schedule, he maintained this weekly routine, traveling back and forth between Chicago and New York. On one occasion, Rav Aharon was accompanied by his mother-in-law. When they arrived at the airport ticket counter, he requested two tickets. The ticket agent informed him of a special promotion: "Spouses Fly for Free." Rav Aharon immediately clarified, "This is not my wife, this is my mother-in-law." The agent attempted to reassure him, stating, "Do not worry. We do not check marriage licenses." However, Rav Aharon pressed further, asking, "Do you have permission to waive this promotion requirement?" The agent hemmed and hawed.
Determined to act with complete honesty, Rav Aharon asked to speak to the supervisor. The supervisor also tried to convince him, explaining, "We never check. You are a male and she is a female. Take the special." Still, Rav Aharon questioned whether this was permitted by company policy: "Do you have permission from the company to do that?" When the supervisor could not confirm that she was authorized to extend the Spouses Fly Free offer to non-spouses, Rav Aharon chose principle over expediency and refused to accept the discounted tickets.
