Flight Attendant Meets Rare Chilean Flamingos She Incubated With Warm Gloves

Last August there were some very special passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines flight from Atlanta to Seattle: six rare Chilean flamingo eggs. When the eggs’ courier – a zoo official delivering the precious cargo to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo – had a problem with the incubator, he summoned for help.

“A passenger rang the call button and asked if I would help keep some eggs warm,” recalls flight attendant Amber. As the airline’s news release reports it: “Amber went to the galley, found some rubber gloves and filled them with warm water. She brought them to the zoo official who quickly wrapped them around the eggs, making a cozy nest. Guests seated nearby offered their coats and scarves for extra insulation.”

Amber and fellow crew members kept checking with the courier during the flight, replacing the warm gloves as the water cooled. The attendant’s quick thinking almost certainly saved the lives of these pre-flamingos, which, months later, emerged from their shells in their new Seattle home.

“I was honored and so happy that the chicks had hatched—all six of them!” she said.

Woodland Park was pleased too. They invited Amber and her granddaughter, Sunny, for a private tour of the zoo that of course included a meet-and-greet with the newly hatched chicks. The birds now sport fluffy gray feathers that will turn brilliant pink by the time they’re adults. 

Visitors to the zoo can also meet the new arrivals: Magdalena, Amaya, Rosales, Gonzo, Bernardo – and Sunny, after the heroine flight attendant’s granddaughter.

Photo credit: Alaska Airlines