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She made the historic first call from a hijacked plane on 9/11. 25 years later, her family met the woman who answered.
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- Vanessa Minter, an American Airlines reservations agent in Cary, North Carolina, was one of the first to learn about the hijacking of Flight 11 on September 11, 2001, through a phone call with flight attendant Betty Ong.
- Ong calmly relayed critical information during the call, which helped the FAA decide to close U.S. airspace; she was the last person Minter spoke with before the plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
- Three weeks after the attacks, Minter wrote a letter to Ong's family praising her bravery, which was the first time they learned about the midair call and brought them pride.
- For 25 years, Minter had not met Ong's family, but recently reunited with Ong's brother Harry at a memorial, where she also met Ong's 99-year-old mother and was welcomed as part of the family.
- Ong's family honors her as a hero among the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11, emphasizing collective remembrance of all who perished that day.
