In Samuel Coleridge's epic poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," why did the albatross prove to be a good omen?

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" was written by Samuel
Coleridge, who was one of the first-generation Romantic
writers.

There are several characteristics of this literary
movement, but the one that may overshadow all the others is a return to nature: all
things of nature were to be appreciated and revered. In fact, it is this lesson that the
mariner must learn, and in the learning, he is a changed and sad man because so much is
lost before he learns the importance of nature by the story's
end.

Coming through the fog, this bird travels and "plays"
with the sailors, as they move northward through the snow and ice, and its company is
considered a good omen. The sailors take it as a good sign, which may be primarily
reflective of Coleridge's desire to praise this creature of
nature.

Ultimately, the sailors convey their pleasure in
the bird's company, believing that it is the presence of the bird that has made the
breezes blow, something sailors desperately need. When the mariner speaks of what
he has done, we learn why his shipmates felt the bird was a good
omen:

For all
averred, I had killed the bird

That made the breeze to
blow.    (93-94)