I have a feeling that, after today, we Americans will be seeing the world from different eyes. This is the end of our innocence. The end of thinking we are loved and admired because we are rich and powerful, the end of believing we are somehow special or protected. We have seen the worst that can happen, and probably next time, when someone tells us to do as we're told and we won't get hurt, we will remember that terrorists are liars.

Somewhere on the news today, they said that a FA had been stabbed. Wouldn't that have gotten some of us to react? We may never know what happened on all of those ill-fated flights, so we can't say our reaction without knowing. But if you saw another human being getting stabbed, wouldn't you try to help get the attacker? I don't know how I would have reacted today--but my first thought would be to try to help, and to try to get others near me to do the same.
I hope I never have to make the decision--but if I do--yes, I will fight.
I'm overwhelmed by what has happened. Our prayers go out to the families of those injured or killed.
Yes, we all have lost our innocence. May those who have planned and carried out this tragedy be swiftly caught, tried, and executed. The time for talking and diplomatic niceties is over. Reaction must be careful, swift and decisive.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

bj-21.

Whether from machismo, some comment of the hijackers, or because they somehow had news of what had happened on the other planes, the passengers of the flight that crashed near Pittsburgh obviously chose to fight--And successfully, at least in the sense of creating a larger tragedy.

After today, I am pretty sure that I would regard any hijacking attempt as a pretext to go all-out against the hijackers, and I suspect a lot of others will feel the same way. Hope I never have to make the choice!

Mike B. in OKlahoma

Hindsight is 20/20. Different situations call for different responses. After yesterday I think most of us will make different decisions since nothing like this has ever happened before. I doubt it was seriously considered a threat before.

Why would you fight? Lot's of planes have been hijacked in the past, they land and usually it ends in peace, there is no possible way you could anticipate the flight to end in such a terrible way. Thank goodness they probably never saw it coming and it was over very quickly for them.

Even as a fairly weak female, I wouldn't in all conscience, be able to sit quietly by as something of this magnitude was occuring. (Something as simple as sticking out my foot to trip them--comes to mind). I too have intervened in the past when faced with a crime and would not hesitate to do so in situation. It has been reported that some on those planes had knowledge of what had happening via cell phones, computers or pagers. I highly commend the actions of those three (and any others unmentioned) who made the decision to attempt an overtaking of the highjackers---and my prayers go out to their families.

Even as a fairly weak female, I wouldn't in all conscience, be able to sit quietly by as something of this magnitude was occuring. (Something as simple as sticking out my foot to trip them--comes to mind). I too have intervened in the past when faced with a crime and would not hesitate to do so in this situation. It has been reported that some on those planes had knowledge of what had happening via cell phones, computers or pagers. I highly commend the actions of those three (and any others unmentioned) who made the decision to attempt an overtaking of the highjackers---and my prayers go out to their families.

We spoke with my father-in-law last night, and one of his parishoner's neices's husband (got that?) was on the flight that crashed near Pittsburgh. Apparently, this man called his wife and said that they were being hijacked. I don't know if they people on the plane knew what had happened (or if it had even happened yet, don't remember the exact timeline), but the passengers had some idea that the plane was going to be used as a missile. Well, this man told his wife that they weren't going to take it, and they were going to rush the cockpit. What a heartening story to hear, of these average people taking the greater good into their own hands. I can only hope this story comes out once the FBI reviews the various cell phone transmissions. What heroes. My prayers for all the affected families.

One, Boeings are more common in US airspace. Two, in some near-collision situations, the computers in an Airbus will override the pilots no matter what.

We (thank God) weren't on the planes in question, so none of us knows exactly what went on.

I'd like to think that I and some othe PAX would turn into a combination of Indiana Jones, Jack Ryan, and Rambo, and disable the hijakers and and steer the plane to safety.

In the past, I think people may have been wise to lay low and hope for the best. After yesterday, I don't think hoping for the best is a viable option. But hopefully I'll never be in such a position.

Until yesterday, I think it was always in the best interest of passengers to go along with hijackers, however, as of today, I think it would take significantly more fire power than knives to take over a plane. I know I would go after them.

I think it's difficult to answer this question without knowing the all of the circumstances.
Almost all hijackings end up being non-violent. The purpose of most hijackings is to obtain hostages for negotiations, which are eventually released safely. On the occasional instances when 1 or 2 passengers are killed (at random), I'm still not sure a mass attack against the hijackers makes much sense.

On the other hand, if the hijackers actually announced their plans to crash the plane, or the people on UA93 were able to find out (via the cell phone calls) that other planes had been used as missiles, I think in that case I'd certainly make an attempt. One assumes/hopes that the passengers/crew of UA93 intentionally crashed it outside Pittsburgh instead of having it continue on to it's eventual target.

Jeff

Whether it's bravado, machismo, heroism, or self-preservation, it's one thing to stand your ground while a bad guy is coming up the aisle towards you with a knife; it's another to take action while he's holding the knife to the throat of a FA or another passenger.

Just a thought.

It seems there was a hero on the flight that crashed outside Pittsburgh. From http://www.thisislondon.com/dynamic/...text_id=407678

It is now known that in one case the passengers fought back in an attempt to save their doomed flight. Mobile phone communications from United Airlines Flight 93 - hijacked from Newark, New Jersey - indicate that three passengers overpowered the hijackers but were unable to maintain control of the plane which crashed near Pittsburgh.

Of course like everyone else, I know my answer is different today than it would have been last week.

Last week, I would assume they just want to fly to Mexico or get a million dollars or some other idiotic idea, and we'd all be fine if we just sit quietly for 20 hours. The wisest course of action would be to just let the authorities handle it whenever the plane lands.

After tuesday, it will be a lot harder to hijaak a plane, because every passenger will have in the back of their mind the notion that these people might not be intending to land at all.

I would fight today, but I wouldn't have had I been on one of the flights tuesday (unless I knew what had been happening in NYC already).

That sounds like what happened on the plane in pittsburg -- they were fine to be quiet until they realized the hijaakers weren't demanding anything other than death.