Terror attacks forever changed air travel - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
For me, remembering the events of Sept. 11, 2001, is all about air travel and the way it changed for all of us after that fateful day.
I was on one of the first flights out of Milwaukee to New York City 10 years ago after a national ban on all U.S. flights imposed after the terror attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania had been lifted.
Those attacks involved hijacked airplanes used as guided missiles by terrorists. It was a heinous plot that killed thousands of Americans and left the nation in a state of confusion and vulnerability.
For three whole days, nothing was allowed to take off from airports across the nation, effectively bringing all air travel to a standstill.
The next time someone tries to tell you something is beyond the government's ability, remind them how after Sept. 11 every plane was pulled out of the sky.
Sometimes, all it takes is the will to get it done.
For anyone who lived near a regular flight pattern for incoming and departing flights out of Milwaukee - like me - and were used to watching regular flights overhead as they arrived at or departed from Mitchell International Airport, the days after the Sept. 11 attacks were eerie.
For three whole days, there was nothing in the sky at all.
My editor asked if I wanted to go to New York to join a team of Journal Sentinel reporters and photographers who were either already at the scene or traveling there by automobile.
I accepted the assignment with little reservation. After all, it was clear the worst was over. Going to New York City to report on the aftermath seemed intriguing and not the least bit dangerous.
When I arrived that morning at Mitchell International Airport, it was clear that America had entered a new age of air travel.
The obvious evidence was increased security, which was a welcome sight that helped ease the nervousness of passengers who were just days removed from watching airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center towers on national TV.
It was the first time many regular air travelers encountered a level of scrutiny that includes everything from taking off shoes to removing belts to not being allowed to carry regular items like lighters, matches, scissors, cologne, shaving cream or razors.
Like I said, it was a new world.
The screening and boarding procedures went without incident. By the time I was seated and ready for takeoff, thoughts about hijacked planes were relegated to the back of my mind. Twenty minutes into the flight, the pilot came on the intercom. I was a regular flier at that point but I had never heard a pilot's instructions quite like this:
"May I have your attention . . . we've just been informed that the airport in New York City has been closed again. We are proceeding back to Milwaukee."
As it turned out, there had been reports of additional threats that prompted the airport closing. As we made preparations to return to Milwaukee, I distinctly remember thinking to myself:
So this is what it's like to be at war.
Eventually, I did get to New York City after taking another flight the next day. Ten years later, I consider those six days in Manhattan writing columns about what I saw as one of my most significant journalistic assignments.
People talk about the way Sept. 11 changed America, but I think its most significant impact is on the way we fly.
Due to frequent visits back East to my aging mother this summer, I've racked up some extensive airplane mileage. When I'm in the air, I hardly ever think about what happened 10 years ago or about the innocent passengers who had no clue when they woke up that morning they would be victims of a deadly attack on America.
Last week, there were reports about more possible terrorism by our enemies to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks. For those traveling by airplane, I'm sure that news prompted a twinge of anxiety. But it's also likely most Americans have experienced so many safe and uneventful air trips since then, they are willing to accept that as a nation we've done the best we can to prevent it from happening again.
Nothing is guaranteed, but after coming so far to regain our sense of safety in the air, hopefully nothing will happen to ever disrupt it again.
Contact Eugene Kane at (414) 223-5521 or ekane@journalsentinel.com Read his Raising Kane blog and follow him on Twitter @ eugene_kane
11 Sep, 2011--
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