9/11 Passenger phone calls

Flight 11

Betty Ong, Cabin attendant

Betty Ong was Stewardess #3 on Flight 11, and phoned the American Airlines reservations desk to report the hijacking. The 9/11 Commission redacted the name of a stabbing victim to "protect one family member from unnecessary pain". This is the first half of her phonecall, in the latter half she was in a three-way call with Nydia Gonzalez and the Operations Centre

September 11th attacks

Transcripts

Flight 93 Cockpit Transcript

Flight 93 Transcript with air control

FDNY Radio Transcripts

9-1-1 calls from inside the towers

Aftereffects

Search warrant for Atta's rental car

9/11 Commission Report

Office of Special Counsel release

Speaker	Transcript
Betty Ong	Number three in the back. Um, the cockpit’s not answering. Somebody’s stabbed in business class and um, I think there’s mace...that we can’t breathe. And I don’t know, I think we’re getting hijacked.
Reservations clerk	What flight are you on?
Betty Ong	Flight 12
Reservations clerk	And what seat are you at?
Reservations clerk	Ma'am, are you there?
Betty Ong	Yes...
Reservations clerk	What, what, what seat are you in?
Reservations clerk #2	Ma'am, what seat are you in?
Betty Ong	We're...we just left Boston, we're up in the air.
Reservations clerk	I know...
Betty Ong	We're supposed to go to L.A. and the cockpit's not answering their phone.
Reservations clerk	(Insistent) Okay, but what seat are you sitting in, what's the number of your seat?
Betty Ong	Okay, I'm in my jumpseat right now, at 3R
911 Dispatcher 8695	Okay
Betty Ong	At 3-R
Reservations clerk #2	Okay
Reservations clerk	Okay, you’re the flight attendant? I’m sorry, did you say you’re the flight attendant?
Betty Ong	...hello?
Reservations clerk #2	Yes, hello.
Reservations clerk	What is your name?
Betty Ong	Hi, you’re going to have to speak up, I can’t hear you.
Reservations clerk	Sure. What is your name?
Betty Ong	Okay, my name is Betty Ong. I’m Number Three on Flight 11.
Reservations clerk	Okay...
Betty Ong	And the cockpit is not answering their phone. And there’s somebody stabbed in business class. And there’s...we can’t breathe in business class. Somebody’s got mace or something.
Reservations clerk	Can you describe the person that you said...someone is what in business class?
Betty Ong	Um, I'm...I’m sitting in the back. Somebody’s coming back from business. If you can hold on for one second, they’re coming back.
unidentified passenger[1]	(in background) ...anyone can help her?
unidentified female passenger	(in background) ...who stabbed who, do you know?
unidentified passenger	(in background) I don't know, unintelligible but Karen[2] and  [3] got stabbed.
Betty Ong	Okay, okay, our number 1 is, got stabbed. Our purser[4] is stabbed. Nobody knows who stabbed who, and we can’t even get up to business class right now cause nobody can breathe. Our number 1 is stabbed right now. And who else is . . .
Reservations clerk	Okay, and do we...
Betty Ong	...and our number 5, our first class passengers are, our galley flight attendant and our purser has been stabbed. And we can’t get into the cockpit, the door won’t open. Hello?
Reservations clerk	Yeah, I’m taking it down, all the information. We’re also, you know, of course, recording this. Umm, at this point . . .
Nydia Gonzalez, Operations	This is Operations, what flight number are we talking about?
Reservations clerk	Flight 12
Nydia Gonzalez, Operations	Flight 12, okay...
Betty Ong	We're on Flight 11 right now. This is Flight 11.
Reservations clerk	It’s Flight 11. I’m sorry, Nydia.
Betty Ong	Boston to Los Angeles
Reservations clerk	Yes?
Betty Ong	Our number 1 has been stabbed and our 5 has been stabbed. (to passengers)Can anybody get up to the cockpit? Can anybody get up to the cockpit? (back to Reservations) We can’t even get into the cockpit. We don’t know who’s up there.
Reservations clerk	Well, if they were shrewd they would keep the door closed and...
Betty Ong	I’m sorry?
Reservations clerk	Would they not maintain unintelligible cockpit?
Betty Ong	I think the guys are up there. They might have gone up, jammed the way up there, or something. Nobody can call the cockpit. We can’t even get inside.
unidentified passenger	(in background) unintelligible sentence
Betty Ong	Is anybody still there?
Reservations clerk	Yes, we're still here
Betty Ong	Okay, I’m staying on the line as well.
Nydia Gonzalez, Operations	Hi, who is calling reservations? Is this one of the flight attendants, or who? Who are you, hun?
Reservations clerk	She gave her name as Betty Ong.
Betty Ong	Yeah, I’m number 3. I’m number 3 on this flight – And we’re the first . .
Nydia Gonzalez, Operations	You’re number 3 on this flight?
Betty Ong	Yes and I have...
Nydia Gonzalez, Operations	And this is Flight 11? From where to where?
Betty Ong	Flight 11.
Nydia Gonzalez, Operations	Have you guys called anyone else?
Betty Ong	No, somebody’s calling medical and we can’t get a doct...
NOTE	AT THIS POINT THE LINE IS TRANSFERRED, AS NYDIA GONZALEZ PHONES AMERICAN AIRLINES EMERGENCY
Chris Marquis, Operator	American Airlines emergency line, please state your emergency.
Nydia	Hey, this is Nydia at American Airlines calling. I am monitoring a call in which Flight 11 -- the flight attendant is advising our reps that the pilot, everyone’s been stabbed.
Chris	Flight 11?
Nydia	Yep. They can’t get into the cockpit is what I’m hearing.
Chris	Okay. Who is this I’m talking to?
Nydia	Excuse me. This is Nydia, American Airlines at the Raleigh Reservation Center. I’m the operations specialist on duty.
Chris	And I’m sorry, what was your name again?
Nydia	Nydia
Chris	Nydia. And what’s your last name?
Nydia	Gonzalez -- G-o-n-z-a-l-e-z.
Chris	Raleigh Reservations. Okay, now when you --
Nydia	I’ve got the flight attendant on the line with one of our agents.
Chris	Okay. And she’s calling how?
Nydia	Through reservations. I can go in on the line and ask the flight attendant questions.
Chris	Okay . . I’m assuming they’ve declared an emergency. Let me get ATC (air traffic control) on here. Stand by.
Nydia	(to Betty) Have you guys gotten any contact with anybody? Okay, I’m still on with security, okay, Betty? You’re doing a great job, just stay calm. Okay? We are, absolutely.
Chris	Okay, we’re contacting the flight crew now and we’re . . . we’re also contacting ATC.
Nydia	Okay. It seems like the passengers in coach might not be aware of what’s going right now.
Chris	These two passengers were from first class?
Nydia	Okay, hold on. Hey Betty, do you know any information as far as the gents . . . the men that are in the cockpit with the pilots, were they from first class? They were sitting in 2A and B.
Chris	Okay.
Nydia	(to Betty) They are in the cockpit with the pilots.
Chris	Who’s helping them, is there a doctor on board?
Nydia	(to Betty) Is there a doctor on board, Betty, that’s assisting you guys? You don’t have any doctors on board. Okay. So you’ve gotten all the first class passengers out of first class?
Chris	Have they taken anyone out of first class?
Nydia	Yeah, she’s just saying that they have. They’re in coach. (to Betty) What’s going on, honey? (back to operator) Okay, the aircraft is erratic again. Flying very erratically. She did say that all the first class passengers have been moved back to coach, so the first class cabin is empty. What’s going on on your end?
Chris	We contacted Air Traffic Control, they are going to handle this as a confirmed hijacking. So they’re moving all the traffic out of this aircraft’s way.
Nydia	Okay
Chris	He turned his transponder off, so we don’t have a definitive altitude for him. We’re just going by -- They seem to think that they have him on a primary radar. They seem to think that he is descending.
Nydia	Okay
Chris	Okay, Nydia?
Nydia	Yes dear, I’m here.
Chris	Okay, I have a dispatcher currently taking the current fuel on board.
Nydia	Uh huh
Chris	And we’re going to run some profiles . .
Nydia	Okay
Chris	To see what his endurance is.
Nydia	Okay
Chris	Did she ..
Nydia	She doesn’t have any idea who the other passenger might be in first. Apparently they might have spread something so it’s -- they’re having a hard time breathing or getting in that area. (to Betty) What’s going on, Betty? Betty, talk to me. Betty, are you there? Betty? (to Operator) Okay, so we’ll like . . . we’ll stay open. We, I think we might have lost her.
Chris	Okay.

Annotations

1. Given the speaker's familiarity with the flight attendants, it is likely the speaker is also an attendant
2. Karen Martin, one of the flight attendants
3. Although the name is removed from the recording, flight attendant Barbara Arestegui and passenger Daniel Lewin were the other two stab victims. Since the speaker is familiar with the first names of both people, it is likely a reference to Barbara.
4. A purser is typically the most senior flight attendant, responsible for filing the paperwork at the end of the flight