The Effect 9/11 had on Air Travel Internationally

Sophie Centi


Grace Leung

Emma Wall

The Effect 9-11 had on Air Travel Internationally

On September 11, 2001 three of the United States most prized and cherished buildings were bombed, within the same hour. This disaster changed air travel internationally forever. At around 9:00 in the morning on a regular day, the World Trade Centers in New York were bombed. Then within the hour the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia was bombed. These two disasters, were not an accident, one very important fact that shocked the world was both trade centers were hit by terrorists flying airplanes. The airplane prices, amount of security, to the amount of airplanes flying were greatly affected by the 9/11 terrorism attack. Air travel was affected internationally forever.

Previous to September 11, 2001, airport security was not as secure as it should have been. Undercover agents were able to surpass security and get through with concealed weapons. Also many doors that were past security were not guarded. Anyone could walk right through and get on a plane. “In one situation, a worker opened the door, allowing him near the planes. One agent even boarded a plane sitting empty on the ramp” (“Airport Security Before 9/11”). The pilot and crew did not have to show their ID badges as they went through security. The planes were not very safe either. Passengers were given the option to use restrooms next to the cockpit. “Airlines allowed sharp objects like kitchen knives for the attendants to use when cutting food” (“Before911”). The doors to the cockpit of the plane were not reinforced and were easy to break down. Also, airlines did not screen all of the luggage that would be going onto the plane. Security in airports and on planes was not as safe as it should have been. There were many ways around it, making traveling airlines very unsafe.

The surprise attack on September 11, 2001 was a devastating event to the United States. A little before 9 A.M., it was a regular day in New York City, when all of a sudden a hijacked plane crashed into the twin towers. (Gotham Gazette). Everybody was in shock and many people didn’t know what was happening. The Gotham Gazette states, “At 10 A.M., the first building collapsed. It was slow motion movie-life; an explosion of flames, the building crumbling, the great rumble reaching the crowd, and then a cloud of ash, first in a bubble low to the ground.” The terrorist from the group Al Qaeda picked buildings that would affect the country the most such as the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. September 11, 2001, was an unfortunate event that will remain in history forever.

The attack on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon affected the airport security in ways such that there were less people flying internationally and the security was much stricter. Starting in about 1983, many more people were starting to fly internationally. The number of people greatly increased all the way up to 2001, when Al Qaeda hijacked the planes. In 2001, there was a major decrease in people flying. The security had a drastic change after the attack on 9/11. Now, people have to show their ID and boarding tickets at the front of the security line. (LHMSHome). Everyone has to follow many specifications. Rules like only having one carry on per passenger, no sharp objects, and no liquids were applied. (LHMSHome). Also, there are metal detectors you have to walk through. Passengers must take off their shoes, belts, watches, hats, and anything else metal. (LHMSHome). Not only was there more security in the airport, but also in the airplane itself. To make sure the flight attendants and pilot were safe, there were cockpits that were bulletproof and able to be locked created. Pilots were then allowed to carry guns to keep themselves secure. (Airport Security Since 9/11). This attack changed airport security and travel tremendously.

Through a great amount of research, it is shown that security increased by a great amount. In 2000, before the attack anyone could take a weapon onto a plane or board a plane with barely any trouble. After the attack it takes a much longer time to board and every single object that can be used as a weapon is confiscated. This is just one example of how 9/11 changed international air travel. Another part of air travel that changed was the amount of flyers which decreased by a great amount after the attack. The prices of air travel did not change at all due to the fact that the bombings did not affect the price of flying by a great amount. The 9/11 terrorist bombing was a tragedy that changed international air travel in many different ways, effecting it forever.























Citations:

""Airport Security Before 9/11"" California Aviation Alliance. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. <http://archives.californiaaviation.org/airport/msg26221.html>.

"Before911." LHMSHome. Web. 09 Sept. 2010. <http://lakeharbormiddle.stpsb.org/AirportSecuritySite Files/Before911Page.htm>.

Cornwell, Derehk, and Bryan Roberts. "The 9/11 Terrorist Attack and Overseas Travel to the United States:Initial Impacts and Longer-Run Recovery." Working Paper Mar. 2010. Web. 8 Sept. 2010. <http://http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ois_ni_911_wp.pdf>.

"Gotham Gazette -- Twin Towers Attack." Gotham Gazette - the Place for New York City Policy and Politics. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. <http://www.gothamgazette.com/specialreport/>.

"After911." LHMSHome. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. <http://lakeharbormiddle.stpsb.org/AirportSecuritySite Files/After911Page.htm>.

"Air Traffic - NextGen Briefing." FAA: Home. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. <http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/briefing/>.

"Airport Security since 9/11: How Far Have We Come?" Access Control & Security System Solutions
Security News for Security Industry, Access Control, Theft Prevention, Alarm Professionals. Web. 08 Sept. 2010. http://securitysolutions.com/news/security_airport_security_far/.



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