PAL passenger gives birth in-flight

MANILA, Philippines–A Philippine Airlines (PAL) passenger gave birth to a healthy baby boy while on board PAL’s B747 flight en route to San Francisco from Manila on Monday, Sept. 19.

Aida Alamillo, a passenger of PAL PR flight 104, seat number 83J, gave birth with the assistance of three nurses on board and several cabin crew led by Flight Steward Francis Lloyd Lobo.

Alamillo, who delivered pre-term at 35 weeks, was aided in doing deep-breathing and relaxation exercises, as a prelude to the birth of her child.

The baby boy was described by flight purser Antonia Castaneda in her Flight Incident Report (FIR) as having “good skin color”. She wrote that “baby started to breast feed”, and gave a “loud cry” upon getting out of his mother’s womb.

The mother was described to have had “minimal pain”. An ambulance and a team of paramedics were alerted prior to the plane’s landing. Mother and child were assisted by the PAL Cabin Crew team, the PAL staff from San Francisco station and the medical team upon arrival in the city. Mother and child were brought to the Mills Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame.

Passengers cheered as the baby boy filled the cabin with his cries.  The incident is considered a rarity. PAL’s cabin crew, all considered “safety professionals”, are trained in handling child-birth situations in flight.

The PAL flight departed Manila at 10:24 p.m. and arrived in San Francisco 7:27 p.m. Actual time of birth was at 3: 25 p.m. (US time).