As there were no flights from the closed Bakersfield airport, it was necessary to find another way out of the grim situation.
At moments like this it is normal protocol for Hollywood celebrities to either bolt via private transport, or blend into the background and pretend not to be there.
But that's not what his fellow passengers needed and, to their delight, Keanu appears to have been instrumental in organising transport on from the Californian airport.
Instead of waiting for a new flight to be arranged, the passengers decided go for the two-hour road trip on to Burbank.
In the fawning Instagram and twitter feeds of the passengers, Keanu can be seen channelling his inner action hero and encouraging them to "hit the road".
Van arranged, and passengers safely aboard it was the makings of "a totally, excellent adventure."
Cartoonist Brian Rea, who was part of the grounded flight, documented the unfolding story via Instagram.
Not satisfied with merely sitting in for the ride, according to Vulture the actor helped navigate the van - enlightening and entertaining his fellow passengers with bits of trivia.
Did you know that Bakersfield is the ninth most populous city in California? We do now.
A spokesperson for SkyWest Airlines confirmed that the flight had been grounded, and its passengers made it safely to their destination airport via ground transport.
"SkyWest Flight 5223, operating as United Express from San Francisco to Burbank on Saturday, March 23, diverted to Bakersfield due to a mechanical indication. The flight landed safely without incident in Bakersfield. Passengers deplaned normally at the gate and were then transported via ground transportation to Burbank."
A fairly dull synopsis, for a story that has been shared thousands of times online.
