PILOT BOUGHT 30 PIZZAS FOR STRANDED UNITED PASSENGERS

A United Airlines pilot ordered 30 pizzas for hungry passengers stuck in Albuquerque after a medical emergency forced their flight down.

Passenger Tanya Stamos was aboard United flight 2480 from San Francisco to Houston on September 13, 2024, when a man passed out and collapsed in the bathroom, she told Fox News. The plane diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico, so he could receive medical care.

A passenger said the pilot bought pizzas for everyone, PEOPLE reported.

“Our pilot is absolutely amazing. He felt terrible about the situation, so he ordered 30 pizzas from a local pizzeria and had them delivered directly to our gate, making sure all 150 passengers had a meal before he served himself,” Stamos told TODAY.com.

Stuck at the gate with closed restaurants

Everyone got off the plane and waited for a replacement flight crew. Stamos said the original crew had timed out.

United handed out $15 food vouchers, but the airport’s food outlets were closed, Stamos said.

Stamos posted about the night on TikTok under the handle @ladyt98tanya, according to Johnny Jet.

Then the pizzas showed up at the gate. Stamos said passengers were “completely shocked.”

She said the captain explained himself to the stranded travelers. “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 recounted to Fox News Digital.

What happened next

Stamos said the pilot handled the handout in an orderly way, swapping empty boxes for full ones. He made sure passengers ate before he took any food himself, she said.

The replacement crew eventually arrived, and passengers continued to Houston. They landed in the early hours of the next morning, Stamos said.

She said she shook the pilot’s hand to thank him as she left the flight.

United told TODAY.com the flight diverted because of a passenger medical issue. “We worked to expedite the passengers’ journey back to Houston,” the airline said.

United praised its pilots in a statement Must Share News reported on November 22, 2024: “We love to see our pilots go above and beyond for our customers when the unexpected happens.”