Overview
- Caribbean Airlines Flight BW005 from Kingston to New York reported a passenger in labor during descent on Saturday, April 4, and the baby was delivered before landing at JFK.
- Audio obtained by CBS News captured the pilot asking for priority and a JFK controller joking the child be named “Kennedy,” and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later shared the clip.
- Caribbean Airlines said crews handled a medical incident under standard procedures, no in‑flight emergency was declared, and medics treated the mother and newborn after touchdown.
- U.S. rules state a child born within 12 nautical miles of the coast, including the airspace above it, gains citizenship by birth, and officials will use flight and GPS logs to verify the jet’s position.
- The episode highlights pregnancy travel policies, with Caribbean Airlines allowing travel without a doctor’s note through week 32, requiring one through week 35, and prohibiting travel after that.