story475.xml

story475.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-04-28

I have been a flight attendant for a major carrier over 15 years. I was at home on sept. 11th, sitting outside on the deck having coffee with my husband and parents who were visiting us......A neighbor called to find out if I was flying, as she had the news on and was watching the disaster unfold.....We immmediately turned on CNN and were horrified by what we saw. While watching this tragedy I knew instantly that these planes were deliberately being flown into the World Trade Center. All I could think about was what the passengers and crew were going through, knowing their lives were ending. Then my thoughts went to those people inside the tower, how would they make it out alive. We were glued to the television all day, trying to comprehend how this could have happened ,not only in New York but in Pennsylvania and Washington. I don't think there has been a time when I have felt more vunerable in relation to my job. I called all my friends and co-workers that I thought might be out there flying to make sure they were okay. I also had numerous people call me that day to make sure I was at home. I didn't return to flying until October as I was off for the month of September. I think having this time off allowed for me to absorb what had happened, come to terms with it and better prepare myself for returning to flying. I wasn't afraid to return to work but I found myself a more "aware" flight attendant. To this day I take my job more seriously, I am more observant of my passengers, more communicative with my passengers and crew. I know now that anything is possible in the air and I have to be better prepared to handle whatever comes my way while on duty. I am not an "AirHostess", that term went out with the mini-skirts and go-go boots worn by our predocessors. I am a Saftey Professional and my attitude and mannerisms need to reflect this. I want my passengers to have the confidence that I am there to make sure that they are as safe as possible and that I will act accordingly if an incident occurs. I can't project this if my mind is wandering on other things, or I am neglecting my duties. I can only hope that those I work with feel the same way so we can work together as a team. Its funny the things we remember about previous trips. After hearing later that this team of terrorists probably flew on different airlines to determine who would be a better target and what flights would best serve their purpose, I recalled one of those trips. I was flying senior on a trip months before and remember the First Class manifest having alot of names on it that I couldn't pronounce. There is usually one or two names on a manifest that are unusual but these names were Middle Eastern and there were at least 5 of them, evenly dispersed in a full First Class cabin. I wondered if they were all related and going to maybe a reunion or something. Thinking about this now gives me chills, could it have been those terrorists observing our flight, I don't know. What I do know is that what happened on Sept 11th could have happened to me, anyone of us as flight attendants knows this. I can only hope that the new security measures that are now a part of our working lives will prevent this from happening again. I can only hope that it doesn't take another tragedy like the one on Sept 11th to make our country, our airports, more diligent about security measures. I can't change what a terrorist thinks and does but I can change my own attitude and what I do while on the job. What I do now makes me a better Flight Attendant,and that is the best thing that I can do for myself , my coworkers and my passengers. I can only hope all of you will do the same...........In Solidarity Tina L.B.