Recently, a United Airlines flight was delayed for about 7 hours due to unforeseen circumstances. The compassionate captain, concerned about everyone’s hunger, took it upon himself to buy a large quantity of pizzas out of his own pocket to treat each passenger. This gesture left all passengers feeling amazed.
According to a report from Fox News on September 27th, the flight was originally scheduled to fly from San Francisco, California to Houston, Texas, but had to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A 44-year-old female passenger named Tanya Stamos from Texas, who was on board the flight, shared with the TV station that shortly after takeoff, the captain asked if there were any medical personnel among the passengers because a male passenger had fainted in the restroom and required assistance.
Stamos mentioned that they were then informed that the flight would have to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque to seek medical help for the passenger who had fainted.
Around 3:30 PM, the flight landed in Albuquerque and the passenger was promptly escorted off the plane by medical personnel. The captain later informed the passengers that they needed to replenish some medical equipment and anticipated a departure at 5 PM.
However, shortly after, all passengers were asked to deplane without being given a reason. It was only in the airport terminal that they found out they were waiting for a new set of flight attendants to board and replace the original crew.
Stamos recalled how passengers sat for hours trying to understand the situation. It wasn’t until around 7:30 PM that night that there were still no new flight attendants to take over.
Despite United Airlines providing each passenger with a $15 meal voucher, the airport restaurants had already closed. Therefore, the captain of the flight took it upon himself to order 30 boxes of pizzas from a local pizzeria to feed the 150 passengers for dinner that evening. This act left every passenger feeling “extremely amazed.”
Stamos recounted, “The captain said it was a frustrating situation, we (the passengers) might be tired, but he would make sure we were fed.”
She noted that most organizations wouldn’t go the extra mile, but the captain didn’t hesitate to do so. “What he displayed that evening was the selflessness we should all have—love, charity, and humanity.”
After the arrival of the new set of flight attendants, the flight eventually took off at 11 PM and landed in Houston around 2 AM the next day. The captain stood at the cabin door as passengers deplaned, thanking them for their patience and wait.
Stamos added, “As I walked out of the plane, I shook his hand and thanked him. And every person behind me did the same, shaking his hand.”
“It was a beautiful sight,” she said.
Instances like pilots buying pizzas for passengers have previously occurred in Canada, warming hearts in a similar fashion.
In a previous report by Dajiyuan,
On February 8, 2017, an Air Canada flight originally bound from Toronto to St. John’s had to make a midway landing in Fredericton due to weather conditions.
John Samms, a passenger from St. John’s, mentioned that Air Canada said they couldn’t obtain food late at night. It was then that a pilot from WestJet appeared and bought pizzas for the passengers. While he didn’t know how many passengers had pizza, he recalled at least four extra-large pizzas being delivered.
Samms noted that all passengers were from Air Canada, yet it was a WestJet employee who stepped up to buy pizzas for the passengers. Air Canada later issued an apology statement, acknowledging they could have done better for the passengers.