American Airlines : Hero at O'Hare

American Airlines team members do heroic things every day. But not every day do those actions get captured on video and shared with millions.

That's what happened when Jorge Manalang, a Ramp Instructor at Envoy Air, an American Airlines wholly owned regional carrier, displayed quick thinking. When a service vehicle began to spin out of control at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Jorge jumped into action to contain the unmanned cart.

'I was just doing my job,' he said. 'Safety is our No. 1 priority, and I did not want anyone to get hurt, so I used the pushback to stop the cart.'

The catering vehicle was parked by an Envoy Embraer 140 aircraft and was being loaded with beverages for the outbound flight. When a case of water slipped onto the gas pedal, the cart began spinning in front of the aircraft. Seeing what was happening, Jorge quickly jumped onto a pushback tug and intercepted the cart.

'I'm incredibly proud of Jorge's actions. He not only prevented severe damage to the aircraft, but more importantly, he prevented what could have been serious injury to his fellow ramp team members or our customers onboard,' said Ricky Deane, Envoy Vice President in Chicago. 'He demonstrated the 'safety first' focus that we have here at the hub - it's the foundation of everything we do.'

To thank Jorge and the care he showed for others, American celebrated him as a Real American Hero. Launched in 2016, the award recognizes team members who step up to help their coworkers and American's customers during potentially life-threatening situations. Including Jorge, American has recognized more than 100 team members for their heroic efforts in 2019.