10 Jaw-Dropping Times When Flight Attendants Went Beyond The Call of Duty

Facts

9.The ‘Better Safe Than Sorry’ Mentality

In a medical emergency, quite often the most important skill crew bring to the table is vigilance, as Carl Harrison discovered. Harrison fell ill during his flight home, when he started having body spasms and fever. Flight attendant Natalie Bond noticed that Harrison seemed unwell and despite his protests, administered oxygen to him for the remainder of the flight and arranged to have paramedics meet the aircraft on arrival. Harrison’s illness resulted in hospitalisation after his temperature spiked to over 111 degrees Fahrenheit. Bond’s decisions saved his life.

10.The Heart Attack

Many airlines use services such as MedLink, to connect in-flight crew to doctors on the ground, and remote diagnostic equipment such as the Tempus IC, which is how Stephen Clarke's life was saved. Attendant Karen Cornelius was able to determine that Clarke was having a heart attack without a doctor in sight. Thanks to quick thinking, using these tools, Cornelius was able to treat Clarke and keep him out of cardiac arrest until the flight crew could deliver him safely on ground, where airport medical services rushed him to intensive care.

So remember, next time you’re sipping your pre-flight champagne or hassling your cabin crew for an unlikely upgrade, what those smiling faces are truly capable of.

Matthew Stibbe is CEO at Articulate Marketing and founder of Turbine. He flies a Cirrus SR22 and edits Golf Hotel Whiskey, a website for pilots and writes about wine at Vincarta.