Pilot comes to the rescue by finding lost passport just moments before taking off

The British Airways pilot found the document left after a previous flight

Helen Wilson-Beevers
Thursday 29 June 2023 09:52 BST
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The British Airways pilot was asked to look for the mislaid passport by colleagues who texted him from the arrivals gate
The British Airways pilot was asked to look for the mislaid passport by colleagues who texted him from the arrivals gate (ViralPress)

A British Airways pilot found a passenger’s passport and dropped it out of a plane window to reunite her with the lost item.

Veronica and her husband Will, from Phoenix, Arizona, arrived at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday 27 June and soon noticed she’d mislaid the bag containing her passport, reports Metro.

After waiting by the arrivals gate, the couple stopped to speak to two British Airways pilots and ask them for help.

The BA workers subsequently texted the pilot on the aircraft the couple had disembarked to see if he could retrieve the passport before the flight took off again.

In a video filmed from the departure lounge, Will said: “Veronica actually left her passport on the plane and these really nice British Airways pilots from another flight talked to us and they were able to text these guys and they were literally backing away.”

A member of ground staff can be seen standing by the plane on the tarmac looking up at the pilot. The pilot’s arm soon emerges through the plane window holding a handbag which he then drops to his colleague below.

Seeing his wife’s bag materialise while filming the scene unfolding, Will’s voice fills with relief. “And that’s Veronica’s purse coming out of the plane, there’s Veronica’s purse, it’s getting dropped down. Amazing. She’s going to get her passport, what a day.”

This is another recent example of a pilot going above and beyond for their passengers. In May, a pilot gave all his passengers free drinks and personally apologised for their flight’s delay.

Meanwhile, a disabled pilot “drew” a wheelchair symbol with a flight path in March.

An easyJet pilot offered passengers the experience of a lifetime and did a 360-degree detour to give passengers a glimpse of the Northern Lights.

A spokesperson for British Airways told The Independent: “We’re proud of our colleagues who worked quickly together to make a difference for our customer.”

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