Baby Born Onboard Spirit Flight
June 27 2017 - 11:00AM
Experiencing a little turbulence during air travel is not
uncommon. But giving birth to a baby during a flight is a
whole different kind of turbulence. That’s what took place on
a recent Spirit flight. Originally, Spirit flight 971 was to
go from Ft. Lauderdale to Dallas/Ft. Worth. But about thirty
minutes into the flight, Cristina Penton of Phoenix, Arizona, who
was 36 weeks pregnant, told flight attendants she wasn’t feeling
well and asked for medical assistance.
“Everything started happening very quickly,” said Penton. “I
didn’t think I was having the baby because it was too soon, but
after a few minutes I knew I needed medical attention. The flight
attendants contacted doctors on the ground and they advised the
flight attendants to see if there were any medical personnel on
board. As it turned out there was a pediatrician and a
nurse. Soon after that, it was clear I was having my baby,
and I was in pure panic.”
The flight was diverted to New Orleans Louis Armstrong Airport
(MSY), and emergency medical crews were summoned to meet the plane
upon arrival. However, before the plane could land, baby
Christoph Lezcano was born on the aircraft. He weighed in at
an even 7 pounds and was 19.5 inches tall. Both were taken to
Ochsner Medical Center in Kenner, Louisiana. Both mother and
baby are fine.
“A baby being born during a flight is very rare,” said Spirit
spokesman, Paul Berry. “But our flight attendants are trained
to handle medical emergencies in flight and they have access to
doctors on the ground via inflight communication. In this
case we were fortunate to also have a pediatrician on board who
brought even more care and comfort to the situation.”
“The Spirit crew was very attentive and took care of me
throughout the flight,” added Penton. “They helped make what
could have been a terrible situation as good as it could possibly
be.”
Today, representatives from Spirit Airlines met Cristina and
baby Christoph at Ochsner Medical Center in Kenner, Louisiana, to
deliver some gifts including free flights for Christoph and a guest
to anywhere Spirit flies on his birthday, for life. The airline is
also planning a special sale in honor of Christoph
About Spirit Airlines: Spirit Airlines
(NASDAQ:SAVE) is committed to offering the lowest total price to
the places we fly, on average much lower than other airlines, on
average more than 30% less*. Our customers start with an unbundled,
stripped-down Bare Fare™ and get Frill Control™ which allows them
to pay only for the options they choose – like bags, seat
assignments and refreshments – the things other airlines bake right
into their ticket prices. We help people save money and travel more
often, create new jobs and stimulate business growth in the
communities we serve. Our Fit Fleet is one of the youngest, most
fuel-efficient in the U.S. We operate more than 450 daily
flights to 60 destinations in the U.S., Latin America and the
Caribbean. Come save with us at www.spirit.com.
*U.S. Department of Transportation statistics
MEDIA NOTE: Spirit aircraft photos and video b-roll are
available in the press room section of spirit.com at
http://www.spirit.com/Pressrelease.aspx.
Contact: Stephen Schuler
954-364-0231
Stephen.Schuler@spirit.com
En Español: Brittany Portalatin
954-364-0243
Brittany.Portalatin@spirit.com
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