Flight Attendants After 9/11

Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 04.15.02 | 11:10 PM ET

Among the many changes in the world of travel since 9/11, add the role of the flight attendant. Sunday’s San Jose Mercury News offers a detailed account of the brave new world. “Since Sept. 11, when flight attendants’ throats were reportedly slashed by hijackers intent on getting into the cockpit, it’s been bandied about that flight attendants are ‘the last line of defense’ on airplanes under siege,” writes Marisa Milanese. “With the passage of the aviation security bill in November, that oft-uttered phrase was put into law; now, it’s being put to practice. All flight attendants on U.S. carriers will be trained in self-defense this year.”