Betty Ong: First to Alert the World
Betty Ann Ong (February 5, 1956 – September 11, 2001) was an American Airlines flight attendant. She was the first person to alert authorities to the hijackings taking place on September 11, 2001, and remained on the radiophone for 23 minutes relaying critical information that led the FAA to close U.S. airspace for the first time in the nation’s history.
Early Life and Education
Betty Ann Ong was born on February 5, 1956, in San Francisco. She was of Kaiping descent, part of the broader Sze Yup Cantonese community, and was the youngest of four children with two sisters, Cathie and Gloria, and a brother, Harry. She attended George Washington High School, graduating in 1974.
As a young adult, Ong worked at her parents’ beef jerky factory. An armed robbery at the factory revealed her composure under pressure; when a robber held a gun to her head, she calmly told her father, “We’re being robbed,” without panic. She enjoyed collecting Beanie Babies and was once approached about modeling, though her mother discouraged that path.
Career and Achievements
In the early 1980s, Ong joined Pacific Southwest Airlines and worked in the airline’s baggage claim department. She later worked as a ticket agent with Delta Air Lines before becoming a flight attendant with American Airlines in 1987.
Beyond her airline work, Ong demonstrated quick thinking and compassion in crisis. In 1987, while driving on U.S. Highway 101 in San Francisco, she witnessed a car roll over after being hit by a speeding pickup truck. She stopped and ran to the vehicle, finding Jo Ellen Chew, a woman she had met a month earlier at a bowling alley. Chew later described Ong’s actions as showing “courage, kindness, [and] compassion,” noting that “most people would just pass by.”
Notable Events and Milestones
On September 11, 2001, Ong assigned herself to Flight 11 to return to Los Angeles and take a planned vacation to Hawaii with her sister. Shortly after the hijacking began, she used a telephone card to call American Airlines’ operations center in Cary, North Carolina, from the plane’s rear galley. She identified herself and alerted the supervisor that the aircraft had been hijacked, becoming the first person to report the attacks to authorities.
During her call, which lasted 23 minutes, Ong and fellow flight attendant Madeline Amy Sweeney relayed the seat numbers of three hijackers. She reported that crew members could not contact the cockpit or open its door, that passenger Daniel Lewin and flight attendants Karen Martin and Barbara Arestegui had been stabbed, and that she believed someone had sprayed Mace in the business-class cabin. At 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower at 440 miles per hour between floors 93 and 99. Ong was killed instantly, along with everyone on the plane and hundreds of others in the building.
Awards and Honors
The 9/11 Commission described Ong as a hero for her actions. In 2002, Ong, Sweeney, and Flight 11 Captain John Ogonowski were the inaugural recipients of the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery, established by the Government of Massachusetts to recognize extraordinary courage in defending or saving the lives of others.
In 2011, the recreation center in San Francisco’s Chinatown where she had played as a child was renamed the Betty Ann Ong Recreation Center. Ong’s name is located on Panel N-74 of the National September 11 Memorial’s North Pool. She is also memorialized on Gold Mountain, a mural dedicated to Chinese contributions to American history on Romolo Place in North Beach, a street where she used to skateboard and play as a child. On September 21, 2001, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown declared that day “Betty Ong Day” at a gathering of about 200 members of the Chinese American community.
Additional Resources
Betty Ong’s story remains documented in extensive archives, including the 9/11 Commission Report, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, and biographical records maintained by American Airlines and the Government of Massachusetts. The Betty Ann Ong Foundation, established to honor her interest in children’s welfare, continues to support youth programs in nutrition, health, leadership, and community awareness. Readers seeking more detailed information about her life and the events of September 11 can consult Wikipedia and other historical records dedicated to that day.
Observer Voice is the one stop site for National, International news, Sports, Editor’s Choice, Art/culture contents, Quotes and much more. We also cover historical contents. Historical contents includes World History, Indian History, and what happened today. The website also covers Entertainment across the India and World.
