Flight Diverted in Texas for Hours—Passengers Not Prepare...

By Soo Kim

Life and Trends Reporter

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Passengers aboard an American Airlines flight received an unexpected mid-air treat after a fellow traveler ordered several pizzas for the entire plane during a lengthy diversion.

The viral clip, shared by user @suthernliving, has amassed over 773,000 views since it was posted on November 21. Text overlaid on the video reads: “Diverted for over 4 hours. Someone ordered pizza for the whole plane.” The footage shows flight attendants distributing slices from multiple Domino’s boxes.

A caption alongside the video reads: “This was truly a wild experience. @American Airlines.”

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The TikTok poster, who did not share their name or age, told Newsweek they were traveling from Birmingham, Alabama, to Abilene, Texas, when weather conditions forced the plane to divert.

“There were weather delays in Dallas that didn’t allow us to land safely, so we diverted to Longview, Texas,” the poster said, noting the city had “a very small airport with only one gate.”

With the delay stretching on the ground, the pilot told passengers they were free to deboard if they wished.

“One passenger wanted to order pizza since the airport in Longview only had two vending machines,” the TikToker told Newsweek.

The poster said that passenger placed an order for 10 pizzas, but just as the food was on its way, the situation changed. “A little later, after he ordered 10 pizzas, the pilot mentioned we might be departing soon and wanted everyone to board again,” the TikToker said.

“The pilot, flight crew, and airport staff coordinated getting the pizzas through security and bringing them onto the plane for everyone,” the poster said. “Since it was a tiny airport, it was apparently very easy for them to do so.” The video shows flight attendants handing out slices down the aisle.

“We ended up departing Longview shortly after,” the traveler told Newsweek. “As you can see, the amazing flight attendants secured the empty pizza boxes for a safe transit. The crew was all amazing during this crazy travel day.”

The good-natured moment onboard came just days before what is expected to be one of the busiest Thanksgiving travel periods on record.

Nearly 82 million Americans are forecast to travel between November 25 and December 1, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). “This year’s domestic travel forecast includes an additional 1.6 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving, setting a new overall record,” the AAA said.

About six million of those travelers were expected to fly—a 2 percent increase from last year. The AAA noted that figure could shift slightly “as some air travelers make other plans following recent flight cancellations.”