Attention Passengers: Is There a Mechanic on Board?

Passengers were spared an eight-hour delay on their way home from vacation in Spain — thanks to an aircraft engineer on the flight volunteering his services.

On board British vacation package company Thomas Cook’s flight TCX9641 — which was leaving Menorca, Spain, to return to Glasgow, Scotland. Passengers were told they’d have eight hours to kill while an engineer flew out from the U.K. to fix the plane.

But then a passenger (dubbed "Mr. Fix It" in the British press, because he did not want his name released) pressed his call button. He told the crew that he is a qualified aircraft engineer and offered to see what he could do. Thomas Cook verified his credentials and the man set to work. He was successful: The flight arrived in Glasgow only 35 minutes late, the BBC reported.

“When he came back on the plane there was a round of applause from the back of the aircraft,” passenger Keith Lomax told the BBC. “It was reassuring to know the person who had fixed it was still on the aeroplane. What are the odds of something like that happening?”

Photo courtesy of Fotosearch.com.