# 9/11 Passenger phone calls

* related portals: September 11th.
* sister projects: Wikipedia article.

## Flight 11
### Betty Ong, Cabin attendant

| 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 | (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 and got stabbed. |
| Betty Ong | Okay, okay, our number 1 is, got stabbed. Our purser 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

* ↑ Given the speaker's familiarity with the flight attendants, it is likely the speaker is also an attendant
* ↑ Karen Martin, one of the flight attendants
* ↑ 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.
* ↑ A purser is typically the most senior flight attendant, responsible for filing the paperwork at the end of the flight