Northwest Flight Attendant who dealt with underwear bomber honored

The eight cabin crew of Northwest Flight 253 have been honored for the parts they played in preventing a lone bomber from taking down their aircraft on Christmas Day.  The crew received their award from The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) at their annual Board of Directors meeting.

The accolade they received was the prestigious C.B. Lansing Award for Heroism.  The award is named after Clarabelle Lansing who was chief flight attendant on board Aloha Airlines flight 243 on 28th April 1988. 

The aircraft suffered a catastrophic decompression, and lost part of the aircraft skin in flight.  Lansing lost her life in the incident but her colleagues worked to save the lives of everyone else on board.

The award is not presented annually, and is instead only given out when a crew or crew member have performed heroics beyond the call of duty.  There have been 7 previous recipients of the award.

Flight 253 was attacked in a terrorist incident, involving a man who attempted to ignite explosives sewn into his underwear.  Several passengers and the crew members responded to the incident, restraining the passenger and putting out a fire that had begin in his seat.

Patricia Friend, the AFA International President, praised the " professionalism" and "quick responses" of the crew adding that they were "nothing short of heroic".  Friend said that by saving the lives of 290 passengers and fellow crew "they exemplify what it means to be a flight attendant in 2010, a front-line safety and security professional."

Source: Chloregy