It’s September 11th, and I’m never sure how to acknowledge the day. It meant – and means – a great deal to me, but I know no one wants to hear the same stories year after year. So I struggle to find things every year that I haven’t heard before, in the hopes that you, too, haven’t heard them. This is one of those great finds.
Though it’s longer than my usual posts, this story is told below in the words of a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15 to Frankfurt. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read it, since it’s a wonderful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit.
Peace and love to you all.
“On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic. All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that “All Business” look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta’s main office in Atlanta and simply read, “All airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination.”
“No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander, Newfoundland. He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately — no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request.
“While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in about the hijackings.
“We decided to LIE to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem and that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander, Newfoundland, to have it checked out. We promised to give more information after landing in Gander. There was much grumbling among the passengers, but that’s nothing new! Forty minutes later, we landed in Gander. Local time at Gander was 12:30 PM …. that’s 11:00 AM EST.
“There were already about 20 other airplanes on the ground from all over the world that had taken this detour on their way to the US. After we parked on the ramp, the captain made the following announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument problem as we have. The reality is that we are here for another reason.”
“Then he went on to explain the little bit we knew about the situation in the US. There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief. The captain informed passengers that Ground control in Gander told us to stay put.
“The Canadian Government was in charge of our situation and no one was allowed to get off the aircraft. No one on the ground was allowed to come near any of the air crafts. Only airport police would come around periodically, look us over and go on to the next airplane.
“In the next hour or so more planes landed from all over the world, 27 of which were US commercial jets. Meanwhile, bits of news started to come in over the aircraft radio and for the first time we learned that airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon in DC.
“People were trying to use their cell phones, but were unable to connect due to a different cell system in Canada . Some did get through, but were only able to get to the Canadian operator who would tell them that the lines to the U.S. were either blocked or jammed.
“Sometime in the evening the news filtered to us that the World Trade Center buildings had collapsed and that a fourth hijacking had resulted in a crash. By now the passengers were emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention frightened, but everyone stayed amazingly calm.
“We had only to look out the window at the other stranded aircraft to realize that we were not the only ones in this predicament. We had been told earlier that they would be allowing people off the planes one plane at a time. At 6 PM, Gander airport told us that our turn to deplane would be 11 am the next morning. Passengers were not happy, but they simply resigned themselves to this news without much noise and started to prepare themselves to spend the night on the airplane.
“Gander had promised us medical attention, if needed, water, and lavatory servicing. And they were true to their word. Fortunately we had no medical situations to worry about. We did have a young lady who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy. We took REALLY good care of her. The night passed without incident despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.
“About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th, a convoy of school buses showed up. We got off the plane and were taken to the terminal where we went through Immigration and Customs and then had to register with the Red Cross. After that we (the crew) were separated from the passengers and were taken in vans to a small hotel.
“We had no idea where our passengers were going. We learned from the Red Cross that the town of Gander has a population of 10,400 people and they had about 10,000 passengers to take care of from all the airplanes that were forced into Gander!
“We were told to just relax at the hotel and we would be contacted when the US airports opened again, but not to expect that call for a while. We found out the total scope of the terror back home only after getting to our hotel and turning on the TV, 24 hours after it all started.
“Meanwhile, we had lots of time on our hands and found that the people of Gander were extremely friendly. They started calling us the “plane people.” We enjoyed their hospitality, explored the town of Gander and ended up having a pretty good time.
“Two days later, we got that call and were taken back to the Gander airport. Back on the plane, we were reunited with the passengers and found out what they had been doing for the past two days. What we found out was incredible. Gander and all the surrounding communities (within about a 75 Kilometer radius) had closed all high schools, meeting halls, lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to mass lodging areas for all the stranded travelers. Some had cots set up, some had mats with sleeping bags and pillows set up. ALL the high school students were required to volunteer their time to take care of the “guests.”
“Our 218 passengers ended up in a town called Lewisporte, about 45 kilometers from Gander where they were put up in a high school. If any women wanted to be in a women-only facility, that was arranged. Families were kept together. All the elderly passengers were taken to private homes.
“Remember that young pregnant lady? She was put up in a private home right across the street from a 24-hour Urgent Care facility. There was a dentist on call and both male and female nurses remained with the crowd for the duration.
“Phone calls and e-mails to the U.S. and around the world were available to everyone once a day. During the day, passengers were offered “Excursion” trips. Some people went on boat cruises of the lakes and harbors. Some went for hikes in the local forests.
“Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to the schools. People were driven to restaurants of their choice and offered wonderful meals. Local bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests. Everyone was given tokens for local laundry mats to wash their clothes, since luggage was still on the aircraft.
“In other words, every single need was met for those stranded travelers.
“Passengers were crying while telling us these stories. Finally, when they were told that U.S. airports had reopened, they were delivered to the airport right on time and without a single passenger missing or late. The local Red Cross had all the information about the whereabouts of each and every passenger and knew which plane they needed to be on and when all the planes were leaving. They coordinated everything beautifully.
“It was absolutely incredible.
“When passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise. Everyone knew each other by name. They were swapping stories of their stay, impressing each other with who had the better time. Our flight back to Atlanta looked like a chartered party flight. The crew just stayed out of their way. It was mind-boggling. Passengers had totally bonded and were calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.
“And then a very unusual thing happened.
“One of our passengers approached me and asked if he could make an announcement over the PA system. We never, ever allow that. But this time was different. I said “of course” and handed him the mike. He picked up the PA and reminded everyone about what they had just gone through in the last few days. He reminded them of the hospitality they had received at the hands of total strangers. He continued by saying that he would like to do something in return for the good folks of Lewisporte. He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name of DELTA 15 (our flight number). The purpose of the trust fund is to provide college scholarships for the high school students of Lewisporte.
“He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. When the paper with donations got back to us with the amounts, names, phone numbers and addresses, the total was for more than $14,000! The gentleman, a MD from Virginia , promised to match the donations and to start the administrative work on the scholarship. He also said that he would forward this proposal to Delta Corporate and ask them to donate as well. As I write this account, the trust fund is at more than $1.5 million and has assisted 134 students in college education.
“I just wanted to share this story because we need good stories right now. It gives me a little bit of hope to know that some people in a faraway place were kind to some strangers who literally dropped in on them. It reminds me how much good there is in the world.”
I have taken the time to confirm the story, and it is in fact true. A total of 37 flights were diverted to Gander and other towns in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the small, working-class communities managed to host, house, and offer hospitality to all 6,579 of the passengers stranded that day. Gander, Newfoundland, is now on my must-visit list, if only to support the local businesses and say thank you for helping to revive my faith in the kindness of strangers.
September 11, 2017 at 6:06 am
Amazing, and awesome!
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September 11, 2017 at 9:08 am
It really is!
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September 11, 2017 at 6:57 am
Really an awesome story, Donna 🙂
There are kind people in our world, we just need to open our eyes to see them.
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September 11, 2017 at 9:10 am
Exactly! Sometimes, we just need a little reminding.
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September 11, 2017 at 7:10 am
Every year, the thoughts and emotions of that day come flooding back to me as if it was only yesterday. Time is suddenly condensed. We got lucky. We didn’t lose any family or friends that day. They were all among the survivors. So when I feel like I do about today, I am mindful that it has to be a hundred times worse for those who were in the midst of the trauma or who lost people that day.
I knew the Gander story as a brother of my colleague was stranded there and was the recipient of the town’s hospitality. With communications being difficult, the two of us waited over a day for news that our people were safe and sound. I remember immediately being heartened by her brother’s story of being looked after by the kind people of Gander. It’s always important to remember the best of humanity in days like today.
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September 11, 2017 at 9:13 am
That’s incredible! What a small world!
I suffer from the same survivor guilt. That’s why I try to find the positive stories that came out of that terrible day and share them.
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September 11, 2017 at 12:44 pm
I would never begin to compare what I went through, waiting just over 24 hours to ultimately learn everyone was safe, to what you went through. I think your attitude to remembering is that foregrounds healing and recovery, endurance and fortitude, bravery and compassion. They are all qualities we would all do well to be more emphatic about right now.
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September 11, 2017 at 3:22 pm
Some days, staying positive is easier than others. But I know there are many more great stories out there about exceptional kindness. And I’m just going to keep mining for them!
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September 14, 2017 at 8:41 am
You are right my dear
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September 11, 2017 at 7:21 am
Wonderful story and excellent reminder that there Is kindness and compassion in the world.
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September 11, 2017 at 9:14 am
There certainly is!
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September 11, 2017 at 7:39 am
Thank you for sharing!
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September 11, 2017 at 9:14 am
I’m glad you liked it!
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September 11, 2017 at 11:03 am
This story is always worth repeating! I’ve come across it three times now over the past few years. There is now a successful musical about the story of Gander that is getting rave reviews:
http://comefromaway.com
It’s now on Broadway and won the Tony award for Best Musical for 2017.
I can’t wait for it to come to Canada so I can see it.
One of my strong memories of that time is that several days after 9/11 George Bush gave a speech thanking by name all the countries that had helped during the crisis. He didn’t mention Canada.
Alison
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September 11, 2017 at 3:19 pm
I have heard of Come From Away, but I didn’t realize this was the story they were telling! Thank you! I wish I were surprised about GB forgetting to thank Canada, but I’m not sure anything politicians do can surprise me at this point. But let’s not go down that road…
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September 11, 2017 at 5:19 pm
Yes, really, I’m not surprised by anything politicians do either, and no, let’s not go down that road. I really hope I get to see Come From Away!
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September 11, 2017 at 1:51 pm
A friend of mine is an air traffic controller in the tower at Gander airport. He sent me pictures of the planes lined up on the tarmac. He also told me about setting up cots, cooking meals, and inviting people into his home to shower and just have some down time. He reminded me that there is good in this world – and that was something so many of us needed to know as we tried to come to grips with how something so horrible could happen. I am sharing your post with him to let him know people still remember.
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September 11, 2017 at 3:23 pm
That’s fantastic! I’m amazed at how many exceptional people there are in the world. I just want to keep celebrating the good stories to give us strength to get through the bad ones. Give him a hug for me!
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September 11, 2017 at 3:18 pm
That is a great story, and a great way to commemorate the day.
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September 11, 2017 at 4:21 pm
Wonderful post! Thank you so much.
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September 11, 2017 at 4:33 pm
Thank you!
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September 25, 2017 at 3:06 pm
well…i’m very very late reading this post. when i started to read the story, i kept saying to myself “this is exactly like it was told in ‘Come From Away!'” i was lucky enough to see that marvelous musical while it was still in previews in NYC last february. a friend had read about it, and i was skeptical about seeing a musical about 9/11. but it was told in such a compelling way, the music was so powerful, the stories so uplifting…it brought tears to my eyes, of course, but it was so moving to hear this story of community and caring. if you get the chance, you should definitely go see it!
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September 25, 2017 at 5:11 pm
It’s moved to the top of my list, right below Dear Evan Hansen!
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September 26, 2017 at 3:28 pm
that’s funny, because my friend and i are going back to NYC in a few weeks, and dear even hansen is the thing she most wants to see! she keeps telling me i need to listen to the soundtrack.
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September 27, 2017 at 9:31 am
The soundtrack is some of the most beautiful stuff I’ve ever heard. Give it a try!
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October 3, 2017 at 3:00 pm
ok i will, thanks!
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