Biography
Ong was born on February 5, 1956 in San Francisco to Harry Ong, Sr., and Yee-gum Ong. She grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown and graduated from George Washington High School. Her family owned a grocery store on Jackson Street. Ong was the youngest of her surviving siblings: sisters, Cathie Ong Herrera, Gloria Ong Woo and brother Harry Ong. Ong began her career as a flight attendant in 1987. Her professionalism and hard work later earned her the position of a purser, a head flight attendant.
At the time of her death, Ong lived in Andover, Massachusetts. On September 11, 2001, Ong assigned herself to Flight 11, so she could return to Los Angeles and go on vacation to Hawaii with her sister. During the hijacking, she called in to American Airlines operations/Raleigh reservations center; she identified herself and alerted the supervisor that the aircraft had been hijacked. Along with fellow flight attendant Amy Sweeney, she relayed the seat numbers of the hijackers. During her 23-minute call, she reported that none of the crew could open the cockpit door, passenger Daniel M. Lewin and two flight attendants had been stabbed and one of the hijackers had sprayed Mace in the first class cabin.
Read more about this topic: Betty Ong
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