Photo: Fduriez / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on February 5, 1956 in San Francisco, California, United States, Betty Ong was a flight attendant. Betty Ong died on September 11, 2001 at the age of 45. Schooling on record includes George Washington High School.
My Take
Betty Ong belongs in a category beyond celebrity. A San Francisco-born American Airlines flight attendant of Chinese heritage, she was aboard Flight 11 on September 11, 2001, and became the first person to alert authorities to the hijackings. What stays with me is the composure: in the worst imaginable moment, she kept her voice steady and kept relaying information that mattered. I can't read that without a lump in my throat. We tend to reserve the word hero for the obvious, but this is the real article, a working woman who did her job with extraordinary courage. I want her name remembered, not just her ending.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Betty Ong
- Name (Japanese)
- ベティ・オング
- Reading
- べてぃ・おんぐ
- Born
- February 5, 1956 – September 11, 2001
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Monkey
- Origin
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Occupation
- flight attendant
2. Background
- High school
- George Washington High School
3. Links
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty%20Ong
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2254875
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Betty Ong born?
Born February 5, 1956.
When did Betty Ong die?
Died September 11, 2001, aged 45.
Where was Betty Ong from?
Betty Ong was from San Francisco, California, United States.
What did Betty Ong do?
Betty Ong worked as flight attendant.