A pilot for Southwest Airlines reached out of his plane’s cockpit to retrieve a passenger’s phone.

The pilot, who was flying out of Long Beach Airport in California, US, was just about to begin moving down the runway in preparation for take off, when he was alerted that a passenger had left their phone outside of the plane.

A video which was taken of the moment it happened showed the pilot wind down his window, lean out of it and dangle out of the plane. One staff member tried to jump up to pass the phone to the pilot but was unsuccessful.

Another member of staff at the airport then threw the phone upwards, and the pilot caught it, to the sounds of cheers from other staff members.

Southwest Airlines’ official Twitter account tweeted the video for World Kindness Day yesterday (13 November), and it quickly garnered nearly 1,500 likes.

It added the caption: “When our Employees at @LGBairport noticed a Customer’s phone left behind in a gate area after a flight that was already boarded and pushed back from the gate, they didn’t hesitate. #WorldKindnessDay.”

While many commenters praised the pilot for the generous gesture, some were surprised to see that the cockpit’s windows were able to open.

One said: “I had no idea those windows could open. How does the breeze feel at 35,000ft?”

And it turns out they do - on most planes, cockpit windows can be opened.

Pilots can open them safely when the aircraft is not pressurised. There is also an emergency escape line that the pilot can use to exit the aircraft through the cockpit window in an emergency.

Another commenter said she had had a similar experience with the airline.

She wrote: “Southwest is very good about helping with your lost cell phone. They helped me get mine back after I turned on the alert.

“They reopened the gate door and brought it to me! I love Southwest Airlines!”

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