US pilot buys pizza for grounded passengers

A US pilot ordered pizzas for a plane full of passengers as they were stuck on the tarmac for two hours in Wyoming.

Gerhard Bradner ordered 50 pizzas after his plane was diverted to Cheyenne and they waited for thunder and lightning to clear in Denver.

Passengers said the entire cabin burst into applause after the pilot announced the delivery on the loudspeaker.

The Washington DC to Denver Frontier Airlines flight, with 160 people on board, finally flew on to Colorado.

Mr Bradner told Phil Williams on BBC Radio 5 live that half the pizzas were cheese and the other half pepperoni.

The captain paid for it out of his own pocket - but he has now been telephoned by the airline's president who has said that he will reimburse him for the cost.

Mr Bradner said he wasn't a hero - he just wanted to make sure that his passengers left the flight with "a smile on their face",