As the 25th anniversary of September 11 approaches, this piece revisits the actions of Betty Ann Ong, an American Airlines flight attendant who relayed crucial information during the hijacking of Flight 11, and how her calm reporting helped authorities understand what was happening on board.
Betty Ann Ong grew up the youngest of four siblings in a family that struggled financially, and becoming a flight attendant gave her a way to see the world she had only dreamed about. She loved the job and cared deeply for passengers, making a point of looking after elderly travelers and children. After 14 years with American Airlines she held a senior supervisory role and was often assigned to first class on flights.
The assignment on September 11 was supposed to be routine, but Ong had volunteered for an extra pickup while saving for a trip to Hawaii with her sister, so she was placed in the galley instead of first class. That placement turned out to be consequential on a morning that began at Boston Logan Airport. American Airlines Flight 11 departed at 7:59 AM bound for Los Angeles with Captain John Ogonowski and First Officer Thomas McGuinness in the cockpit, nine flight attendants including Ong, and 81 other souls on board.
About 15 minutes into the flight the hijackers made their move, and several crewmembers and a passenger were attacked. Karen Martin and Barbara Arestegui, both flight attendants, and passenger Daniel Lewin were stabbed as the intruders used an irritant to force first-class occupants toward the rear while claiming to have a bomb. The situation in first class deteriorated rapidly and cockpit communications went quiet.
When the cockpit stopped responding, Betty Ong picked up an Airfone and made sure the world knew what was happening on American Airlines Flight 11. At 8:19 AM, Ong called the American Airlines Southeastern Reservations Office in Cary, North Carolina, and Reservation Agent Vanessa Minter picked up. She spoke clearly and provided critical details under duress.
“The cockpit’s not answering. Somebody’s been stabbed in business class,” Ong said. “I think there’s mace…that we can’t breathe. I don’t know, I think we’re getting hijacked.”
Even while under attack, Ong kept a professional tone and gave precise information that would aid investigators later. In testimony, American Airlines operations specialist Nydia Gonzalez recounted her conversation with Ong and emphasized Ong’s composure during the call. Gonzalez stressed how Ong’s demeanor and accuracy stood out even amid chaos.
“Before I describe her call, let me tell you about this brave and courageous individual,” Gonzalez said. “Betty Ong, affectionately known by her family and friends as ‘Bee,’ was a flight attendant with American Airlines for 14 years. She was a very caring, warm, and loving person. Her zest for life, her passion for her job, her ability to make people laugh, and her concern for mankind are what truly made her, along with her fellow crew members, our first heroes of September 11th.”
Gonzalez noted that Ong was able to convey detailed seat locations and other facts that later helped identify the attackers and piece together events from the air. “Although she wasn’t able to give us a description of the attackers, she told us the seat locations of these individuals, which helped law enforcement authorities identify the terrorist attackers,” Gonzalez added.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum credits Ong with being the “first siren of alarm notifying authorities that the country was under attack.” She was not the only crew member to reach ground personnel; Madeline “Amy” Sweeney also managed to get on the phone and report what was happening from another affected flight.
Sweeney placed a call at 8:25 AM to American’s Flight Services Office in Boston, and after being disconnected she re-established contact and spoke with manager Michael Woodward. She also “relayed key information regarding the hijacking and the identities of the hijackers.” Those calls created the first on-the-ground picture of coordinated attacks unfolding in the air.
Sweeney remained on the line for roughly 12 minutes and Ong stayed connected for about 25 minutes, transmitting as much detail as she could. At 8:44 AM, American Airlines lost contact with Ong, and at 8:46 AM Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center, killing everyone on board instantly. The times and durations of those calls would become part of the official timeline of the morning.
Years later, Ong’s family and friends continued to remember her as someone who put others first. “She just cared for people and all the passengers,” her older brother Harry Ong, Jr. said when recalling his sister. The pain of the unanswered “why” lingered for him, and he kept a photo of Betty on his desk as a private remembrance.
For Ong Jr., the question of chance remained: “I always wonder why roughly almost 6,000 airplanes that were up in the sky that morning all over the world, why Betty had to be on one of those planes,” he said. He also remembered how Ong, in her last moments of contact, asked for prayers for everyone affected rather than for herself.
“Betty said to ‘ask for prayers; pray for us all,'” Ong Jr. recalled. “She didn’t say, ‘Just pray for me.'” After her death the family established a foundation that funds senior and youth programs at a rec center in San Francisco’s Chinatown, keeping her memory alive through community service. Ong’s flight attendant wings are preserved and displayed at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
Ong’s remains were recovered and brought home to San Francisco, and her brother urged people to remember the compassion and courage shown by many that day. “I do want people to remember that, after that dark day, people exhibited love for each other,” Ong Jr. said, noting the bravery of firefighters, police, and ordinary citizens who responded.
