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United Airlines passengers were “completely shocked” by a kind gesture from their pilot after being forced to take an emergency landing that delayed their flight for over seven hours.

Their flight, headed to Houston from San Fransisco International Airport, took an unexpected turn less than two hours into the journey, leaving 150 passengers stuck in a New Mexico airport with no open food outlets.

Soon after taking off on 13 September, the Boeing 737 Max 9 had to make an emergency stop in Albuquerque after a male passenger suffered from a medical event.

Passenger Tanya Stamos, a 44-year-old United States Navy veteran from Texas, told Fox News that a man had passed out and collapsed in the bathroom, prompting the pilot to ask if there were any medical professionals on board to help before announcing to the plane that they would be landing to seek help.

The flight landed at 3.10pm local time and the passenger was taken off the plane for further medical assistance. A short while later, all passengers were asked to disembark from the aircraft while they waited for new flight crew to arrive, causing a long delay to their journey.

While the passengers were eventually given $15 (£11.30) food vouchers, Ms Stamos explained that the airport restaurants and other stores were shut by then.

At that point the pilot, who had already navigated an emergency landing, took matters into his own hands and ordered dozens of boxes of pizza.

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“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,” Ms Stamos said.

Ms Stamos also posted a video on TikTok showing the pilot receiving the pizza boxes, organising and laying them out for the passengers to come and take a slice.

“Our pilot is absolutely amazing,” Stamos wrote in the post. “He felt so bad for the situation that he ordered 30 pizzas from a local pizza shop and had it delivered right to our gate.”

She added that the pilot also “made sure all 150 passengers ate before he made himself a plate”.

The passenger said that after seven hours in New Mexico, they were able to leave by 11pm once the new flight crew arrived, landing in Houston by 2am the following morning.

Ms Stamos said that she and her fellow passengers were “completely shocked” by the pilot’s act of kindness.

“Most organisations do not go above and beyond, but that captain did not hesitate," she added. “His display that evening is what we should have more of: selfless acts of love, compassion and humanity.”

United Airlines said in a statement: “We love to see our pilots go above and beyond for our customers when the unexpected happens.”

“This flight diverted due to a medical concern with a passenger and we worked to get customers back on their way to Houston quickly.”

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast

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