Hollywood Burbank Airport honors quick-thinking flight attendants for saving passenger's life

BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- Two flight attendants turned into real-life heroes on a flight to Burbank after a passenger suffered a heart attack.

Avelo flight attendants Tali Rosas and Chris Allison were honored Monday at Hollywood Burbank Airport for saving a man's life mid-flight. The two jumped into action at a crucial point in the flight as the plane was descending to land in Burbank.

It started when the passenger's family member rang the call light and the flight attendants found a man in his seat who was unresponsive and did not have a pulse.

"We decided that it was necessary to perform life-saving CPR and with three shocks of the AED we were able to get his heart started," Allison recounted.

The event happened in July. The Avelo flight from Brownsville, Texas to Burbank ended up having to make an emergency landing. The flight attendants say their training guided them on what to do.

"This is what they train us for. Aside from service and good customer service experience, a lot of it is emergency training and what to do in case these situations happen," Rosas said.

"I'm proud of how seamlessly the flight attendants, the air crew, the firefighters, the paramedics - everyone integrated," said Hollywood Burbank Airport Police Chief Edward B. Skvarna. "They did a masterful job in saving this guy's life."

Once the flight landed, first responders jumped in to help the man and transported him to a hospital. Two weeks later, the passenger walked out of the hospital after making a full recovery.

The flight attendants say they are delighted because the passenger is home and able to spend the holidays with his family.