Just like any type of transportation, airplanes are not exempt from having trouble when traveling from point A to point B. Turbulences, Mother Nature, mechanical errors, or even human error can all contribute to a plane’s ability to safely fly.
Fortunately, pilots are typically well-trained in dealing with the things that may go wrong during a flight, and thus, can make the appropriate accommodations, which may include safely landing the plane if necessary. In fact, flying is the safest mode of transportation, resulting in the least fatalities and injuries.
In the case of one Air Canada flight, passengers are grateful for their pilot who kept them safe during a plane emergency and even ordered them pizza when they were stranded on a tarmac after landing.
The two-hour Canadian flight from Toronto to Halifax, Flight 608, left on a Monday afternoon. By the time the plane arrived at its destination, the pilot was having trouble landing at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport because of a storm. Circling around for some time, passengers on the plane were worried the pilot would not be able to get the plane on safe grounds.
At the same Halifax airport earlier that day, another plane slid off the tarmac as it was turning toward the gate. In response, the airport temporarily shut down the runway. Fortunately, all 221 passengers walked away with no injuries.
The pilot of Flight 608 used his good judgment and decided to fly to Fredericton where he could safely land his passengers.
While the Airbus A320 plane landed smoothly, the airport where they ended up was very busy. Therefore, the passengers and flight crew would be sitting around for a whole eight hours on a Monday evening with no food service. But, because it was apparent that the plane would be stranded for quite some time, the pilot called Minglers Restaurant and Pub in Oromocto for a hefty order that he paid for out of pocket: 23 large pepperoni and cheese pizzas.
Restaurant owner Roch Larivée was surprised by the call: “We do a catering business here too, so we’re used to unusual numbers, but I mean, on a stormy night? For a plane? No.”
Even with only three employees in the kitchen, Minglers made the order happen. Thankfully, the snowstorm was winding down, allowing for safe pizza delivery to the airport.
“I hope everybody enjoyed their pizzas,” Roch said the next day.
According to one passenger, Philomena Hughes who was on her way back home to Halifax after visiting her parents in Ontario, the hot pizza was very much appreciated. Hughes was thankful to have had a generous pilot who thought about the welfare of the passengers on board.
Even though it was the pilot’s idea to order the savory pies, he gave heavy credit to his flight crew who helped distribute the food to the hungry passengers.
“He wanted everyone to know that it was the whole crew, that he couldn’t have done it without the crew. There was lots of help. There were a couple of Air Canada Jazz pilots that were traveling on the plane, and they were helping to pick up the pizza and distribute it. Everybody chipped in, so he didn’t want to take the whole credit for himself,” Philomena explains.
Apart from feeding the passengers, the pilot of the Canadian flight kept everyone calm and well-informed until they were able to safely resume their flight to Halifax Tuesday afternoon.
“It was something that could have been very stressful; he made it a lot easier,” says Philomena. “They looked like they appreciated the pizza…They were pretty calm and pretty cheery. It makes such a difference when you know what’s going on.”
Another passenger, Bill Karsten who is a municipal councilor in Halifax, posted a picture on Twitter of the pizza arriving. Like Philomena, Bill was incredibly grateful for the kind act: “He walked entirely down the length of the plane just to make sure we knew what was going on and whatnot, before departing to Halifax. So I think the mood was set, in reality, by the great work of the captain.”
This pilot deserves an award!
