Baby on board: US woman gives birth on Delta flight

When baby Brielle Renee was born, new mom Ashley Blair was flying high – quite literally. Blair unexpectedly went into labor shortly before her full Delta flight from Atlanta to Portland touched down on Friday night.

The surprise birth was just one of two medical emergencies on board that emergency medical technicians Tina Fritz and Caarin Powell responded to during the flight, capping the end to their vacation in the Dominican Republic, the pair told the Associated Press. They were helping another passenger when flight crews called for assistance for Blair.

The EMTs quickly established Blair was in labor and sprang into action, switching seats with passengers seated in her row and borrowing blankets from others. Powell started an IV using her own shoelace as a tourniquet.

Three “super, really good pushes”, Fritz told AP, the baby came out quickly. “It was nice,” she added. “Baby pinked up right away … she was gorgeous. Mom was a rock star.”

The plane landed just about the same time baby Ashley did. The five and a half pound newborn was reportedly born two weeks before her due date. Blair told crews she was flying to Oregon for the birth to be with her mother.

In a statement emailed to the Guardian, Portland Airport Fire and Rescue confirmed the dramatic in-air birth and that emergency responders were waiting for the mom and baby when they landed in the evening on 24 April.

“They found everyone in stable condition when the aircraft landed shortly before its regularly scheduled arrival time of approximately 10pm,” spokesperson Molly Prescott said. “Our responding crew boarded the plane and found the mother and baby healthy.”

Blair and the baby were transported by AMR to a local hospital for observation, she added.

Delta wished the new family well in an issued statement, and thanked the crew and medical volunteers who stepped up. “The health and safety of our customers is always our top priority,” the company said.