Pilot orders 70 burgers for delayed passengers

And he footed the bill

Hero: Captain Matthew Hoshor on board the delayed flight (Twitter/@samrwalker)

A US pilot appeased delayed passengers by ordering everybody a burger from a nearby restaurant.

Passengers on the Mesa Airlines flight departing Tulsa International Airport for were delayed for two and half hours when the pilot ordered 70 burgers to be delivered to the stationary aircraft, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Sam Walker, a passenger on the Houston-bound aircraft, wrote on Twitter: “We’re currently 2.5 hours into a delay leaving Tulsa on @united and our Captain, Matthew just ordered every single person on the plane lunch from Fat Guys Burger Bar. Good people and customer service do still exist!”

In response, United – which operated the flight – wrote: “Hey, Sam. How awesome! We're glad to hear the crew took care of you today. We'll pass along your praise to our teams.”

Walker added: “Also a great time to remind everyone that airline pilots and flight attendants are hourly employees that are only getting paid while the plane is in the air. So they’re dealing with this garbage, and your attitude for free.”

United confirmed that it was the pilot, identified as Captain Matthew Hoshor by the Houston Chronicle, who would foot the bill for the burgers.

“He's a really good guy. We're very proud of him,” Mesa Airlines chief executive Jonathan Ornstein told the Chronicle.

“That he went out of his way like that to take care of the passengers. It really was outstanding customer service, way above and beyond.

”It makes me so proud as a CEO of a company,“ he said. ”To see an employee do that, it just makes me feel great.“