Flight delays stink. Especially when they occur around meal times. But one United Express/MESA captain went above and beyond the call of duty during a prolonged flight delay.
A mechanical issued delayed a United Express flight from Tulsa (TUL) to Houston (IAH) on March 11th. When a flight attendant approached Captain Matthew Hoshor stating she was hungry, Hoshor figured that everyone on the flight must be hungry.
So he sprung into action. Hoshor got on the intercom and said, “I’m sorry for the delay, but I think I can make it better. I just have one question: cheese or no cheese?”
The plane erupted into applause.
The hamburgers arrived and FAs delivered them with a choice of beverage.
One passenger asked why Hoshor would do this (out of his own pocket). Hoshor responded:
You’re not just passengers, you’re people.
He later added:
Some people online said I only did this because I felt guilty, but that wasn’t it. I just wanted to do the right thing.
As canned as that response seems, isn’t it refreshing to hear that from a pilot? When Mesa Airlines CEO Jonathan Ornstein heard about the incident, he offered to pay Hoshor back, but Hoshor politely declined. What a class act! Hoshor is also a reservist chaplain in the U.S. Air Force. There, he counsels men and women struggling with battlefield trauma.
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! #UA6329 pic.twitter.com/2raUykf4JT
— Your mom is a NFT (@samrwalker) March 11, 2019
The flight eventually landed in Houston five hours and three minutes late, but at least passengers had a full stomach.
CONCLUSION
The United Express (and entire United) brand was greatly damaged by the David Dao incident. But small gestures of kindness like this can win back the hearts and minds of customers. Delays are always unfortunate, especially when they are mechanical in nature and somewhat in the control of the airline. But keeping customers updated and their stomachs full helps to mitigate the frustration of any delays. Airlines should take note…this sort of thing should be the standard, not the exception.
And want to know the funny thing? Hoshor is a vegetarian!
The funny thing is, I’m a vegetarian. But hamburgers are all they had in Tulsa, so I just went with it.
At the risk of being a cynic (who am I kidding?), I was under the impression that (mainline) pilots are often reimbursed by the company for such deeds. That doesn’t appear to be the case here but does anyone know definitively?
It’s possible the article has been updated since you posted your comment, but it states above that Mesa’s CEO offered to reimburse the Captain, who declined.
Yes that was there when I wrote my comment, which is why I wrote “That doesn’t appear to be the case here,” meaning he was not reimbursed. Since the CEO had to offer to reimburse, we can assume there isn’t a published policy at Mesa.
I am asking if there is a long standing policy (either de jure or de facto) at any US carrier to reimburse pilot-ordered food? I thought I read somewhere that there was. That would certainly change the calculus of such decisions (e.g. there’s a 95% chance the company will eat this charge vs dipping into my savings).
I can imagine some passengers griping if they’re vegan or can’t eat gluten if their only choice was “cheese or no cheese” as described, but if the pilot is vegetarian himself, I bet he thought to ask if there were any special dietary needs before he called in his order.
This is both adorable and reassuring in an age of horror stories of airlines mistreating passengers. We can hope this guy will be climbing the ladder and setting a good example for years to come.
These Express pilots don’t make a lot of money.
The captain is a class act.
Thank you for posting. Kudos to Captain Hoshor for paying it forward. Love it.
Well-intentioned but for me, being surrounded by 200 people eating burgers, this would be a nightmare from hell. Pizza Margherita is the go.
great story – great guy. still don´t understand why he declined the refund from the airline. at least it´s business
btw, there are always some people arguing with what ever you do and what ever is your intention
I also don’t understand why he declined to be paid back…
And he’s cute too!
OK. “Taste is indisputable “ ( Oscar Wilde)
Nice to hear positive stories regarding an airline pilot, even if it’s on an express carrier (United Express). Would be nice to see one of the major airlines with a similar story.