Liew Siaw Hsia Gives Birth On Board Plane Over Malaysia, Will Get Free Flights For Life

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A Malaysian woman who gave premature birth to a boy on board an airplane minutes before it landed will get free flights for life along with her child, an airline official said Friday.

Liew Siaw Hsia, 31, gave birth on budget carrier AirAsia's flight from Penang to Kuching on Wednesday.

AirAsia spokesman Nazatul Mokhtar said Friday that the flight was diverted to nearby Kuala Lumpur for an emergency landing when Liew started labor pains. He says Liew was 27 weeks pregnant, 11 weeks short of the full term.

A doctor on the flight helped the woman deliver while the plane was still 2,000 feet (600 meters) in the air in its final approach to land.

Mother and son were rushed to a nearby hospital after the plane landed, an airline statement said. Their condition late Friday was unknown, though Nazatul said earlier that they were both in good shape.

Nazatul says both Liew and her son will get lifetime of free flights.

Comments

[Whinger]

Free flight for life, that may start a trend for on board births!

Best wishes to mother and child.

[filo]

Honey ! My water broke, lets get to the airport !

[Cinnamonape]

Wouldn't it have been better if the doctor had been given lifetime air fares? Seems he could come in pretty handy!

[SadButWiser]

Very lucky woman. AirAsia was voted the World's Best Low Carrier Airline this year. I have flown it few times, and it is a title it well deserved.

[beekeeper]

You have got to be kidding me? Free flights? I have delivered several babies as a paramedic and you mothers and fathers who have been in Labor and Delivery know it is MESSY.... so I am sure there was a mess.... all over the carpet etc.... and they rewarded her for giving birth?

Wow... maybe she didn't have proper prenatal care and as such went into forced delivery with the pressure changes of the cabin...

[duxguts]

If you want to know how bad Air Asia is, have a look at their latest advertising campaign. It will make you feel really sad for the female cabin attendants.

[ChangeurMind]

Oh Air Asia, how I want to like you, but just can't bring myself to. Feel sorry if she's doomed to have to fly that airline even for free.

[rissole]

If you've ever flown on Air Asia you know that free flights for life means very little.

[Cinnamonape]

The one catch is that she'll have to pay for anything other than carry-on

;-)

I've used Air Asia a lot (probably about 30 times now) and have only had one major delay. The government run Malaysian Airlines once had two cancellations on the route I needed. Of course they offered me free overnight accomodation in a nice hotel for the next days flight...which I used. Then they routed me through an alternative route, and the final leg cancelled! Another overnight...in a 4 star hotel. I'm a backbacker and had a somewhat open schedule...but it would have been a real pain in the rear if I had to arrive in Mulu on a specific date.

[chedet]

Air asia is still better than american airlines and come to think of it it's actually a budget airline and AA isn't. I hate AA.

[moseyon]

I'll bet that why Parlin flew back to Alaska.
Free flights would have been a dream for her.

[CR46]

Lucky it wasn't NWA, the baby might have been 3 days old by the time the pilots found an airline to land at.

[moseyon]

ROFL> how clever of you .

[nin]

NOW do you get it that pregnant women flying in labor NEVER make it 8 hours across country and one hour driving to deliver a 5th baby? Wink!

[CR46]

Go to the entertainment page and look at a seven month pregnant "tight ab'd" Kendra :)

[Freedom of Logic]

11 weeks short? That must have came as a huge surprise.

[DeeDubya]

But if I have sex on a flight that results in the manufacture of a baby, do *I* get free flights for life?

Noooooooo!!!

Gender discrimination, I say.

[Clarabell]

The baby will be extremely lucky to not get any "pre-existing conditions." And I'm not saying this to be funny -- I have a granddaughter who was born at about the same stage.

[fifitrixiebelle2]

I agree, Liew was not irresponsible BUT the former governor of Alaska was definitely irresponsible when she flew after her waters broke as she herself claims.

[Patrick - Palingates]

Read more:

http://palingates.blogspot.com/search/label/babygate

[fifitrixiebelle2]

You can read the former Governor of Alaska's story here.

http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/09/sarah-palins-babygate-for-beginners.html

[Patrick - Palingates]

Don't try this at home.