Flights can be stressful, there’s no doubt. Tight, crammed spaces with coughing strangers, turbulence, and that weird smell wafting through the air can make us all on edge. Now imagine giving birth in the midst of all that.
That’s what happened Saturday on Caribbean Airlines Flight BW005 from Kingston, Jamaica, to New York, when a woman went into labor during the plane’s final approach to John F. Kennedy International Airport. According to CBS New York, the crew alerted air traffic control as they descended, asking for a direct approach and medical help at the gate.
The radio exchange is one that frequency will never forget. In the audio published by CBS, the pilot says, “We have a passenger, a pregnant passenger, who’s going into labor at this time.” After landing, a JFK ground controller asks the question everyone was clearly thinking, “Is it out yet?” The pilot replies, “Yes, sir.” Then the controller’s next line was the one everyone online thought was the most precious thing ever, “All right, tell her she’s got to name it Kennedy.” The pilot, laughing, answers, “Ah, Kennedy, will do.”
A Passenger Had a Baby Moments Before Landing at JFK, and the Audio Is Wild
It’s cutesy, and it’s funny, which still doesn’t cancel out the fact that giving birth on a commercial flight sounds like a waking nightmare. Tiny seats, recycled air, a cabin full of strangers, and no dignified way to handle any of it. People complain when the Wi-Fi is down. This woman delivered a whole human somewhere above New York.
Caribbean Airlines confirmed the birth and said medical personnel were waiting when the plane arrived at JFK. In a statement quoted by CBS, the airline said, “The airline commends the professionalism and measured response of its crew, who managed the situation in accordance with established procedures, ensuring the safety and comfort of all onboard.” CBS could not confirm whether the baby was actually named Kennedy. A silly joke heard over airport radio is one thing. Giving your child a name because a ground controller got a line off is another.
It is wholesome, though. Air travel has been a bit of a torturous process for the past few years. Delays, fees, insulting seat assignments, and the general emotional temperature of an airport gate at 6 a.m. Then, out of nowhere, you get a sweet story like this. We’ll take the lighthearted relief.
The post A Passenger Gave Birth Just Before Landing at JFK, and the Audio Fully Delivers appeared first on VICE.
