Looking
at what is going on in the world, it's hard not to yield to despair and
defeatism. But every once in a while, a bright ray of sunshine breaks
through the dark clouds and dispels the gloom. The following account,
written by a nameless flight attendant in the wake of 9/11 and released
into cyberspace like a note in a bottle thrown into the sea, is just one
of such rays of sunshine, an uplifting and heartwarming story that
restores, if only for a while, one's belief in mankind.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Delta Flight 15 was flying over the North Atlantic, five hours out of Frankfurt, Germany, when a message arrived from Delta's main office in Atlanta alerting the captain that the entire airspace over the Continental United States was closed to commercial traffic, and advising him to land ASAP at the nearest airport. The nearest airport was 400 miles away, in Gander, Newfoundland. As the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta, and then another, telling of the terrorist hijackings. The Canadian traffic controller without hesitation granted approval for a route change. To avoid panic on board, the captain told the grumbling passengers that the plane would have to land in Gander to take care of a minor instrument problem.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Delta Flight 15 was flying over the North Atlantic, five hours out of Frankfurt, Germany, when a message arrived from Delta's main office in Atlanta alerting the captain that the entire airspace over the Continental United States was closed to commercial traffic, and advising him to land ASAP at the nearest airport. The nearest airport was 400 miles away, in Gander, Newfoundland. As the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta, and then another, telling of the terrorist hijackings. The Canadian traffic controller without hesitation granted approval for a route change. To avoid panic on board, the captain told the grumbling passengers that the plane would have to land in Gander to take care of a minor instrument problem.
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