Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

America's New War: Airlines Passengers Fear for Their Safety

Aired September 15, 2001 - 12:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Richard Roth, one of our own correspondents is standing about 10 blocks from that area right now, and he can probably give us some more insights as to what these rescuers continue to face. What are you seeing from your location today?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, the large cloud of smoke is still present. It's back to a clear blue sky, a very similar conditions to that Tuesday when the passenger plane stuck the World Trade Center towers. The workers continue to take rubble out by dump trucks. Those are kind of the major sounds you do hear from a distance -- we're about eight to 10 blocks north of the site, and you hear a large rumble, a crash of glass or something, and there's a big American flag that has now been put up on the American Express corporate building that at one point earlier in the week was deemed a little bit risky to rescue workers.

President Bush, Paula, had noted earlier today that Americans should return to their every day lives, but I think the big issue for many people will be the fear -- fear of flying, fear of security. With me now right now is one passenger who was on one of the first planes to leave Oakland, California yesterday, to head to the East Coast, Donald Kinsman, and what he went through and some of the other passengers -- nothing actually happened, but what went on during the flight? Tell us the mood when you boarded and how the passengers looked and sounded.

DONALD KINSMAN, PASSENGER: We boarded the plane. It was incredibly somber. It seemed like everybody was fearful, quiet.

ROTH: Flight attendant, though?

KINSMAN: Flight attendant seemed nervous to me. Other pilots coming off other planes.

ROTH: One was crying, though?

KINSMAN: One of the flight attendants I was told was crying. I didn't see that.

ROTH: And then, about an hour before the plane got to New York, just describe what happened in the plane.

KINSMAN: Well, a couple -- a couple guys got up in the aisle, you know, they could have been Middle Eastern dissent, they looked like they might have been. And people got a little antsy, including myself. Everybody was sort of looking and a little nervous, and all of a sudden I noticed that there were a couple passengers up in front up by the pilot's door, along with the Jet Blue employees. They were all up close to the pilot's door and everybody was sort of looking back and forth, trying to be calm, but you sensed that there was attention and a nervousness.

ROTH: Jet Blue being one of the America's newer airplanes. One of your friends, one of the other passengers told me that some of huskier passengers stood up in the aisle as if to say we're ready to take you on should you indeed be somebody posing trouble?

KINSMAN: I sort of interpreted it that way, yes. Yeah. I mean, I think that's what what was going on. I mean, yes.

ROTH: What did you see from your passenger jet as you approached Manhattan of the former World Trade Center site?

KINSMAN: We flew right over the state. We flew right over it. We saw it, and the women behind me started crying and it was a pretty emotional moment, I have to say.

ROTH: And Jet Blue is an airline which provides live telecast of all news channels, so -- what happened on the flight?

KINSMAN: We were watching the planes crashing into the towers probably three times. Finally, my wife sort of nudged me and made me turn it off, she said, "I can't see this anymore." And so -- it was -- it was scary. I didn't know if we'd get here. I mean, there was no reason why we wouldn't, but you were thinking that the whole time.

ROTH: OK. Donald Kinsman, thank you very much. You were with your wife on your honeymoon out there in California. You're transiting up to Buffalo later today. Some of the fear that no doubt many passengers will be undergoing in flights to come.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com