Passenger gives birth to a baby girl on a Delta flight just before landing
AP News • • business
Key Points:
- A passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta gave birth to a healthy 5 1/2 pound girl just before landing at Portland International Airport, assisted by two paramedics who were on board.
- The mother, Ashley Blair, went into labor about 30 minutes from Portland while flying to Oregon to be with her own mother for the birth.
- Paramedics Tina Fritz and Kaarin Powell improvised using blankets from passengers and a shoelace to tie off the umbilical cord due to the absence of an obstetrical kit.
- Despite flight attendants urging them to sit as the plane was landing, the paramedics successfully delivered the baby moments before touchdown.
- Both mother and baby were found healthy by emergency responders and transported to a local hospital for observation; Delta Airlines thanked the crew and medical volunteers for their assistance.
