Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

Washington, DC (December 20, 2018) — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) today honors the heroic actions taken 10 years ago by the Flight Attendants and pilots on Continental Flight 1404 that saved 110 passengers.

“Flight Attendants Al, Pam, and Regina represented the best of what Flight Attendants do as aviation's first responders. Ten years ago, they safely evacuated all 110 passengers from the burning aircraft near a Denver runway,” said Sara Nelson, AFA International President. “Al, Pamela and Regina are heroes.”

On December 20, 2008, after being cleared for takeoff at Denver International Airport, CAL Flight 1404 veered off the runway, skidded and crashed into a ravine. Flight Attendants Al Felipe, Pam Howard and Regina Ressler evacuated passengers from the plane from the left side as the right side was burning, and the plane was melting around them. While the Boeing 737 sustained severe damage and the crash was noted as the most serious in the airport’s history, every one of the 110 passengers and five crewmembers survived.

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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 73 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.