A Perspective from inside the aircraft

A Perspective from inside the aircraft

by Judith Rowe '00

Because I have been an American Airlines purser and flight attendant for almost 36 years, for me, the attacks of September 11, 2001, had a particular poignance.

Over the years, my co-workers and I have struggled to overcome certain misconceptions about the role of flight attendants. No, we are not sex objects in the sky, as some airlines have suggested in their advertising. We are not "stewardesses", "hostesses," or "stewards."We are not just "attendants," although the media likes to use that term for brevity.

We are not on board an aircraft simply to serve coffee. Our job title is "flight attendant," and we are professional men and women who have chosen a career in safety and security. The pilot's duty is to get the aircraft to the correct destination safely. The flight attendant's duty is to board, maintain, and deplane passengers safely and securely.

Our Job title is "flight attendant," and we are professional men and women who have chosen a career in safety and security.

We are the ones who will initiate and conduct an evacuation, deal with air rage, aid with the birth of a baby, operate the automatic external defibrillator, put out fires, deal with a hijacker, resuscitate the unconscious, and even handle a bomb. Why else would all crewmembers be subject to random drug testing? It is not because pouring coffee needs a steady hand. Consequently, on September 11, 2001, 25 flight attendants were dealing with the true trip from hell. The Federal Aviation Administration mandates we practice emergency procedure training twice a year, and I have no doubt that each crewmember initiated procedures to passively resist the hijackers in an effort to protect the passengers and pilots. (Procedures now are more aggressive.) Sadly, none of us imagined one day dealing with zealots who would use our aircraft as deadly missiles. But according to calls made by passengers and quick-thinking flight attendants, all involved began heroic, aggressive measures. Some flight attendants boiled water to throw on the hijackers, according to one call. Others organized a unified passenger charge into first class. Another flight attendant successfully communicated gruesome conditions and location to the company by phone. Most certainly, all of the flight attendants heroically attempted to protect and calm passengers, while fully aware of their tragic fate.

I know this because the flight attendants on Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon were my friends and coworkers. I had flown with Michele for more than 25 years. Ken and Jennifer Lewis (jointly known as "Kennifer") had a combined seniority of 30 years. On days off, Renee May ministered to children with special needs.

The passengers aboard those doomed flights were blessed with the most experienced professionals. Those professionals were the very first heroes in our national tragedy. They -- and all crewmembers -- have for years been advocates of the heightened security measures that are only now being put into place. They deserve the nation's gratitude and enduring respect.