Southwest Flight Makes Unscheduled Stop After Passenger Gives Birth On The Plane

Image courtesy of David Transier

A Southwest Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Orlando gained an additional passenger in mid-air yesterday when a woman gave birth on the plane.

The flight took off around 3 p.m. ET on Sunday but was diverted to Charleston after a passenger went into labor, USA Today reports, and landed around 4:30 p.m.

“Medical personnel onboard assisted with the delivery,” a Southwest spokeswoman said in a statement. “Emergency medical technicians met the flight upon landing and transported the parents and baby to an area hospital.”

After 70-minute wait, the flight took off again with the rest of its passengers for Orlando, just an hour behind schedule.

Another passenger on the flight posted a quick video from the plane with the sound of a crying baby, noting that the flight crew “did a great job.”

This isn’t the first baby to be born on a plane, of course; it’s not even the first time we’ve heard of such a thing happening on a Southwest flight: in 2014, a Southwest passenger gave birth on a flight from San Francisco to Phoenix shortly after takeoff. More recently, a Royal Jordanian Airlines passenger went into labor somewhere over the Atlantic and gave birth four hours before the plane could land.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.