University at Buffalo student Shana Bonetti was in disbelief after she received a frantic call from friends on Feb. 12 and learned that the flight she was supposed to be on — Flight 3407 — had crashed into a house just outside of Buffalo.
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, Bonetti, a senior dance major at the University at Buffalo, landed in Orlando, Fla. for an audition to be a summer parade performer at Walt Disney World, which she said was a chance for a great experience after she graduates in May. Bonetti had tickets to return to Buffalo after the audition via Continental connection Flight 3407 departing from Newark on Feb. 12. That 74-passenger plane crashed at 10:11 p.m., and all 45 passengers and four crew members aboard perished.
Bonetti was not on the plane, as she canceled her flight that Thursday morning. The SUNY student said that “of the 160 dancers that auditioned, I was among five that were called for a special interview … causing me to change my flight.”
According to Bonetti, she switched to a direct flight with Jet Blue, departing Friday, Feb. 13. Instead of taking off from Orlando on Thursday evening, she was undergoing an interview with Disney.
As Bonetti left the interview, she had several missed calls on her phone.
“My roommates in Buffalo called me around 10:30 p.m … they were the only two people besides my mom who knew I switched,” Bonetti said. “I was in shock at first … it was really hard for me to sleep and I was praying I didn’t know anyone on that plane.”
Bonetti said her mom “kept thanking God” they had changed the flight, and that the two of them kept saying everything happens for a reason.
“Before this I would use the phrase to help friends feel better,” she said. “But after all this happened, I cannot help but believe it.”
Bonetti still feels shaky from her close call with death.
“I am truly going to try and cherish every day for what it is worth … I am truly thankful for what I have, and who I have in my life,” she said.
In the next 48 hours after the crash, Bonetti said many of her close friends and family members thought she may have been on the plane. “My mom and I had dozens of phone calls after the crash, as people called to see if I was OK,” she said.
When Bonetti finally arrived in Buffalo, she said she just relaxed with friends.
“It was a really crazy situation. I was relieved it worked out well for me, but there were 50 people just like me who it did not work out for,” she said. “So it is really hard for me emotionally to figure out how I am supposed to handle it.”
Bonetti has since been offered the position at Disney World.