9/11’s Impact on Air Travel
After the great tragedy of 9/11, American Airlines are now considered the safest flights in the world. They became stricter about what you’re allowed to have with you on the plane, and they also lost billions of dollars because many people didn’t want to cross over seas anymore if it meant taking a plane. As soon as the planes hit, the twin towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington DC and an area in Pennsylvania, all US airlines were shut down immediately, and no one was allowed to fly. Some people were held up at airports for a couple hours, a day or even more. Airlines lost a dramatic amount of money because people did not want to fly overseas anymore because they were concerned about their own safety, the United States visa policy became more restrictive, and because of the economy, no one wanted to waste money on flying when they could try to be safer by driving or another way of transportation because a lot of people were scared for their lives or flying. Many people today will still not fly in an airplane, 11 years later.
American Airlines took the terrorist attack very seriously, and boosted their security system. Before 9/11 people could arrive half an hour before their flight and still make it on time, now it’s better to get to the airport about 3 hours before departing time, because it takes much longer for every passenger to get through security without interruptions. People are now put through metal detectors, and are also patted down in case something slipped through the detectors. People had to start unpacking their brief cases, pulling out everything in their pockets and putting them on a metal table where security looks through it.
9/11 had a ripple effect on our economy, and affected everyone across the world. Even though the terrorist’s only crashed 3 different planes in the United States, and the passengers from the fourth plane tried to stop the hijackers from targeting another place, but crashed the plane anyway. Countries from all over the world were shocked and determined to change their security systems as well. Major airlines declared bankruptcy after this event.
After 9/11 so many objects weren’t allowed to be with the passengers on the plane. Most belongings were tucked back underneath the planes in storage. Any type of sharp object is forbidden aboard the plane with you. Baseball bats, lacrosse sticks, bows and arrows, BB guns, pellet guns, axes and hatches, crowbars, drills, hammers, saws, matches, tools, screwdrivers wrenches…etc. Firearms are carried as checked baggage; they MUST be unloaded, packed in a locker hard-sided, and declared to the airline at check-in. Some items that are now restricted seem a little over the top, but terrorist can find a way to make day to day ordinary objects, harmful. Even though most passengers would think they need some of these objects with them, they are still forbidden and could be used as weapons.
Security wasn’t the only thing that changed after September 11, 2001. Hijacking the plane was way too easy for the terrorists. Now every aircraft’s cockpit door locks from the inside, so only pilots can open it. Another precaution is Secure Flight Program. SFP is a set of questions each passenger has to answer to buy the airplane ticket. They have to fill in 3 questions. One, there name used in their traveling ID, Two: date of birth, and three: their gender. Before the passengers can enter the plane their names have to go through a search whether they are on the “do not fly list,” or not. If they were not put on this list then they are free to go on their flight as planned, but if they were then they are to be held back from further access to the planes.
As you can see, September 11, 2001 impacted so many people all over the wall, American airlines lost a huge amount of money, thousands of people were killed, and many families still continue dealing with an enormous tragedy the world will never forget.
