Passengers furious as pilot delays flight to supply crew with pizza

While it’s not uncommon to face airline delays, passengers on an easyJet flight were shocked when their flight was delayed due to the pilot buying pizza for his crew.   

On May 5, an easyJet pilot delayed his flight from Lisbon to Manchester for over an hour due to an insufficient menu for his crew.

While there were sandwiches to eat during the three-hour flight, the pilot preferred to provide something prepared hot. 

He then decided to order pizza, leaving his passengers in shock. “I couldn’t feed the crew with two poor sandwiches,” he said over the intercom.

After the fiasco, an anonymous passenger caught up with MailOnline, claiming nobody was able to use the toilets and there were no refreshments offered during their wait time.

“Surely it would have been better to allow passengers to stay in the comfort of the airport lounge before boarding whilst the crew tended to their requirement for sustenance,” the passenger said.

The passenger also recalled the flight having initial delays prior to waiting for the crew to acquire their pizza. Though the flight made it to its destination, it arrived nearly three hours later than expected. 

“I would not have taken the flight had I known that the arrival would have been over 3 hours late at the time of booking and would have looked for an alternative flight,” the passenger explained.

After the situation, an easyJet representative released a statement to MailOnline, apologizing for the delays. They also said they are “required” to provide adequate provisions for the crew to “operate safely.”

This isn’t the only time a flight has been delayed for odd reasons. In January 2024, an American Airlines flight had to turn around before takeoff because of a passenger who caused a ruckus by farting uncontrollably.

And in September 2023, a flight from Newark, NJ to Dublin, Ireland was delayed for three hours, causing two drunk women to have a meltdown. They were eventually escorted away from the gate by security, with one woman being apprehended while face down on the floor.

While frequent flyers will likely endure mishaps and delays every so often, in some cases, passengers receive vouchers for their troubles. However, it’s unknown if the delay from Lisbon to Manchester was reason enough to give passengers a voucher for their next flight.