Weather delays can't be avoided, but a little levity from the crew can sometimes lighten passengers' mood.
Which is why, on an easyJet flight from Cyprus to Gatwick in November that was delayed because of weather, a pilot joked that he would write excuses for students on board who missed school because of the delay, according to Road Warrior Voices.
Much to the pilot's surprise, 31 students took him up on the offer.
Joshua Skuse and his family were on the flight, which was eventually canceled, and the 8-year-old was worried about missing school the next day.
The pilot wrote an adorable letter for Joshua since he was going to miss class, the Petersfield Post originally reported:
Dear Mrs Lee, I am very sorry that Joshua was not at school today. He has been involved in a secret mission in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea at very short notice. We hope this mission will soon be complete and that he will see you bright eyed and bushy tailed on Tuesday morning.
"I wrote all sorts of things to the teachers explaining the absences," Captain Wayne Mott told the Petersfield Post, "and I wrote a letter to one headteacher for one of the teachers too! They were a really nice bunch of passengers."
The budget carrier got props from Joshua's mom for keeping the kids entertained during the delays.
And even the student's teacher was impressed: She extended an invitation to the pilot to come in to speak to the class, which he'll be taking her up on.
As the 10th edition of the Riga Aviation Forum was getting ready to open, 50SkyShades — a long‑standing Media Partner of the event — took the opportunity to sit down with Zigmars Vestfals,...
Global Jet Capital has released its sixth annual Business Jet Market Forecast, outlining a confident outlook for the sector. The updated analysis anticipates steady expansion over the next five years,...
Regional turboprop fleets show stark disparities in age, reliability, and economic viability. Many aircraft are approaching end‑of‑life, while others are increasingly difficult to operate as spare‑par...
Global trade body The Air Charter Association (The ACA) celebrated another record‑setting edition of Air Charter Expo (ACE’26) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026, delivered in partnership with Busines...