AIBU to judge passengers complaining about grounded flights on 9/11?

But most working people didn’t have access to TV or radio during the day when they were working so the majority were in a bubble until they get home and/or picked up the evening newspaper on their way home. Things were very different back then.

I worked in an investment bank so in my area we had constant news showing on TV screens plus Bloomberg etc but that was a long way from the norm for many people.

I had worked in NYC for a while and a close friend of mine (who I met when I was working there) worked literally across the street from the WTC. We often used to go for drinks after work in the bar at top of one of the towers. When the someone at work in London said about the first plane, everyone at my work was WTF that can’t be true?! So I actually rang my friend at her work in NYC and she answered. She was relatively relaxed about it saying ‘oh they think says it’s a commuter plane’ and then in the background security started evacuating her office and everyone, including her, sounded as confused as hell and she had to go. That was minutes before the second plane hit. After that the reality of what had happened and was still happening started coming out but phone lines in NYC were down and it was more than 24 hours later that I found out she had survived.

I had just gone on maternity leave with DS and was lying on the sofa balancing a plate of toast on my massive bump when DH phoned me (landline? Nokia?) to tell me to switch the telly on. Lay there thinking - what sort of a world am I bringing this little one into? So very self centred.

Yep, there was unfortunately plenty of live footage of the second hit on the WTC,.not just on rolling news either, some of the US East coast breakfast time TV programmes carried it.

You need to take those programmes with a pinch of salt. They would have asked specific questions to set them up to be answered in that way and edited the responses. It doesn’t mean that everyone had this attitude.

Re security measures - well of course events shape the way we change processes. Nobody can ever anticipate a unique event like this.

No, I watched it happening in the afternoon here, morning in NY…I rang my sister to put the news on…

@hahabahbag

. I must admit it does seem disproportionate now to ground domestic flights from London to Scotland because something happened in the USA

True with hindsight but there were at least two reasons:

The UK security apparatus possibly went with "you can't be too careful,.let's take time to analyse this"..

The other reason for definite (and this is mentioned in the ATC Blog I posted upthread) - is that the UK air traffic controllers were suddenly faced with a wave of dozens, (plus plus) aircraft returning to the UK/Europe from the west having done an about turn over the Atlantic - a lot of that traffic, especially to/from the US West coast routes through the airspace over western Scotland.

Also aircraft in UK airspace coming out of Europe wanted to do a U turn before even getting anywhere near the Atlantic.

The UK controllers had to free up capacity/airspace and cancelling flights not already airborne was one solution.

This is not accurate. I actually watched the second plane fly into the tower live as it happened. I happened quite by chance to have the television on in the afternoon at home as I wanted to check something. The first plane had already gone in, and the news cameras were there. Prior to the second plane flying in, there was massive confusion and shock, and the belief that it was some terrible accident. The second the second plane hit the tower, there was no doubt that it was a deliberate terrorist attack. That was the moment the world changed.

I remember walking the village to school to collect my daughter that afternoon, and imagining the buildings collapsing around my head. Suddenly the world was a very scary place.

That’s right, around 2ish…unbelievable scenes.

I remember thinking it for some kind of hoax. I watched it on TV at work and I genuinely didn't think it was really happening. It took till the next day for it to sink in as all the coverage came in.

We didn't have mobile phones in the same way back then we didn't have internet access at our fingertips or the social media we only had the TV.

And honestly we'd never experienced anything like it so it just didn't seem like it was really happening.

A lot of people tying themselves in knots to try and defend other persons behaviour. Sometimes people are just absolute arseholes. If you watch other episodes of this show you will see it’s far more common than not for people to act like this. These people were not lacking in information, not 12 hours later certainly, let’s just accept they were self centred pricks. A lot of people are.

If anyone wants to see a positive story on this check out the musical Come from Away, such a feel good piece considering the tragic circumstances

But at the time everyone was very worried London would be next.

Sorry I didn't say what I mean to say, I meant didn't have mobile phones with the internet on!
Yes I had a little Nokkia and could get text messages and pay snakes but noone had a phone where they could go online and see news in real time

Remember people didn’t have mobile internet then wouldn’t necessarily have known more than one or two headlines they had been passed on by airline staff. I must admit it does seem disproportionate now to ground domestic flights from London to Scotland because something happened in the USA - horrific situation there but our security was already so much stricter due to the Lockerbie bombing and Northern Ireland “troubles” etc. European flights within Europe or east looking back should not have been fully cancelled though the clear bags for hand luggage makes sense initially

@NeedToKnow101

We were grounded for about 6-8hours and passengers weren’t told why or where we were. I don’t think the crew knew why either until shortly before we could get off the plane I don't think the crew knew why either

From what I've heard the crews had a general idea that US Airspace was closed for securiry reasons whilst in flight. More info got round via radio conversations between flights as shortwave news broaddcast got picked up or companies started to contact crews direct.
After landing the crew would have got the specifics (either by listening to generally news on their short wave receivers, talking to their airline operations or just by discussion with ground staff...)

The big unknown for a while was "what next" and there was a hope maybe some flights could just get a quick refuel and then hop off to somewhere more hospitable that could accept them or even head back for Europe...that's one reason why not much was said to passengers initially.

Of course as you experienced the authorities eventually said "nothing moves" and a lot of eople went nowhere for a few days.

These passengers landed in Tenerife!

Got 24-48 hrs AI in a 5* hotel!

OK, no one actually knew what was happening next and I can understand the anxiety around that but compared to many they got a good deal!

I was on a flight to Mexico City with my mum when it happened. We were grounded for about 6-8hours and passengers weren’t told why or where we were. I don’t think the crew knew why either until shortly before we could get off the plane. Everyone was mainly quiet apart from complaining about being hungry.

We found out we had been rerouted to Newfoundland, as were many other transatlantic flights. We were taken to a school hall which was set up with 100s of camp beds and given a pack of toothbrush and toothpaste etc as we only had hand luggage. They fed us for the days we were there. The locals were as shocked as us and were very kind to us. The school let us email or phone home to let worried family and friends know we were ok. There were big screens up showing the news constantly. I think we were there for 3 days. There was a Wal-Mart to buy underwear from.

In terms of the grounding of flights, initially nobody knew whether there were other attacks planned.

...and according to some involved there was certainly concern/thoughts for a short while amongst those in ATC management that UK airspace might be closed...

I wasn't in the UK on the day but I can certainly understand why some flights didn't depart and why there would have been a lack of definite information that could be passed on to passengers.

nats.aero/blog/2021/09/the-ocean-is-now-effectively-closed-remembering-of-9-11/

British people are funny when it comes to holidays. God forbid anything should get in the way of them 😳

People whinge when someone kills themselves on a train line so the train can’t go and it’s going to make them late for work. It’s just human nature to not want to be inconvenienced, however selfish that may be.

there was little immediate footage. It was hours before there was a shot if the first plane hitting the tower. It was the next day before there was film of the second plane

That’s not true actually. My neighbour rang me to put Sky news on as it was happening. We saw the second plane hit in real time.

In terms of the grounding of flights, initially nobody knew whether there were other attacks planned. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to get on a plane.

It was early afternoon in the UK as the first plane hit at 8.15am in New York. We had a late lunch on the training course I was doing for work and during that time we heard about the first plane hitting. We heard about the second plane and it sunk in that it was deliberate during the afternoon session. We carried on, I went home on the bus and watched it on the news at home. It was later in the afternoon by then, but it had only just happened in NYC.

I had just started my first Proper Job in London and we didn't know if London was going to be attacked that day. It felt like a Sliding Doors moment between life before and after, as 2020 did more recently. But with hindsight, once the enormity begins to sink in. It was the true end of the 1990s hedonistic optimism and reality dawning.

My husband worked for an American company in the uk so had been alerted by colleagues to switch the tv on. We didn’t even know what the twin towers were and rarely had the tv on in the day.

In 2001 there were very few if any so-called low cost airlines in Europe. The notion of a weekend away via easyJet or Ryanair for say a hen or stag do was not commonplace. Many people I expect only flew once a year for their annual holiday in Spain or Greece.

A lack of understanding of flight schedules etc is no surprise.