When passengers of a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Huston had to wait hours at an airport in Albuquerque due to an emergency landing, the pilot stepped up to make their experience just a little bit less unpleasant, leaving travellers “completely shocked” with his kind gesture.
The flight departed around 1:00 pm from San Francisco on 13 September and was supposed to land in Huston a little after 7:00 pm. About one and a half hours after take-off however, the pilot asked if there were any health care professionals on the plane and asked them to “let the flight attendant know and head to the back of the plane”, passenger Tanya Stamos told Fox News Digital in an email.
Shortly after, the passengers found out a man had fainted and fell down in the bathroom and needed immediate medical assistance. The flight had to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque, where the ill traveller was met by medical staff and taken to the hospital.
Landing around 3:30 pm, the plane was supposed to return to its route in about 90 minutes, after medical supplied onboard would be restocked. Eventually, the cabin crew also needed to change for the flight to proceed, so everybody was asked to deboard and wait for further information.
The airline gave out $15 food vouchers, however, by the time everybody reached the terminal, around 7:30 pm, the restaurants and bars at the airport were already closed. With 150 passengers tired and confused about the situation, the pilot decided to make sure they would at least not reach their destination on an empty stomach.
“The captain said it was a really disheartening situation, and we may be tired, but he would make sure he personally got our bellies full”, Stamos said. He then proceeded to order 30 pizzas from a local restaurant to be delivered directly to the gate where everybody was waiting to reboard the plane. Moreover, he made sure every single person got at least one slice before taking any himself.
“Most organizations do not go above and beyond, but that captain did not hesitate”, added Stamos, who is a 44-year-old United States Navy veteran from Woodlands, Texas. “His display that evening is what we should have more of: selfless acts of love, compassion and humanity.”
The plane only took off again around 11:00 pm and landed safely in Huston around 2:00 am the following day, 7 hours after its initial arrival time. After landing, the pilot came out of the cockpit and greeted every passenger while deboarding the plane, thanking them for their patience, and, according to Stamos, after she shook his hand and thanked him for his kindness, everyone behind “followed suit and shook his hand as well.”