Association of Flight Attendants - CWA, AFL-CIO
united master executive council
Each year as the anniversary of September 11 approaches Flight Attendants and Pilots across the system join together in remembrance and honor of our flying partners, friends, family, and colleagues that lost their lives that tragic day.
Each year as the anniversary of September 11 approaches Flight Attendants and Pilots across the system join together in remembrance and honor of our flying partners, friends, family, and colleagues that lost their lives that tragic day. We will always keep their memories in our hearts, and will never think about the 11th day of September without also thinking of our beloved colleagues that perished at the hands of some of the worst terrorism the United States as ever suffered. We will Never Forget September 11, 2001.
Each year in memory and recognition of the anniversary of this tragic day, memorial ceremonies are conducted at locations across our nation. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the ceremonies have attendance restrictions this year, but will offer virtual attendance and tour options.
Since many of us will be unable to be part of National Memorial services, we can still honor our beloved heroes of aviation, as well as those first responders and anyone touched by the tragedy of September 11, 2001, by simply taking a moment of silence in their honor. Visit unitedafa.org for information on September 11 Virtual Memorial Services that will be taking place across the system.
Additionally, AFA will be providing commemorative 9/11 memorial pins to be worn during the month of September. Wear them as a remembrance of our flying partners, family, and friends as a reminder that they will always be with us.
United Airlines Flight 93, American Airlines Flight 77, United Airlines Flight 175, and American Airlines Flight 11. We will always keep their memories in our hearts, and will never think about the 11th day of September without also thinking of our beloved friends and flying partners that perished at the hands of some of the worst terrorism the United States as ever suffered.
Look for AFA commemorative pins in your local domicile in late August or contact your Local Executive Council to request one.
9/11 Memorial – New York City
This year, the names, read by family members, will be broadcast via speakers placed at multiple locations across the Memorial plaza. Families may choose to stand near their loved ones’ names on the Memorial pools or sit on benches under the trees, without fear of being too close to others, as they listen. The names they will hear were beautifully and lovingly recorded by family members for the Museum’s memorial exhibition, In Memoriam, which honors—with emotion and devotion—every individual killed in the 9/11 and 1993 attacks.
Note: We understand the disappointment that some within the 9/11 community have expressed with this year’s change. However, protecting the health and safety of everyone at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum is a great responsibility, and so our decision—as difficult as it was to make—is not to put families, who have already gone through so much, potentially at additional risk, while remaining fully committed to enabling all present to hear the names of their loved ones spoken by family members in the serene and sacred setting of the Memorial.
The 9/11 Memorial is open daily from 1 to 8 p.m. Please follow all health and safety guidelines when visiting. Additionally, tickets are now available for Virtual Memorial Tours. During the temporary Museum closure, we invite you to explore a host of offerings from home.
9/11 Pentagon Memorial
ALERT: The 9/11 Pentagon Memorial will be CLOSED to visitors due to COVID-19 restrictions. The lighting repairs project has been completed, however, the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial will remain closed to visitors until the Pentagon itself is open to visitors for public tours. Please visit: https://pentagontours.
Flight 93 Memorial Park
The National Park Service, along with the Families of Flight 93, Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial, and National Park Foundation will host the Nineteenth Anniversary Observance on Friday, September 11, 2020, at 9:45 am.
From the Flight 93 website:
To minimize the spread of COVID-19, and in adherence to state and federal guidelines, the observance at Flight 93 National Memorial has been abbreviated. The NPS has made efforts to abbreviate the ninety-minute ceremony to a twenty-minute “Moment of Remembrance” and is set to begin at 9:45 a.m. on Friday, September 11 at the Memorial Plaza. In the absence of a keynote speaker and musical talent, each name of the passengers and crew members will be read aloud with the ringing of the Bells of Remembrance. This moment will observe the exact time Flight 93 crashed at 10:03 a.m. The observance will be virtually streamed via EarthCam.
Visitors who wish to attend the name reading should expect limited parking. The NPS will not be providing shuttle transportation and some parking lots may require walking distances of over one mile to the Memorial Plaza.
The Visitor Center will open an hour early at 8:00 a.m. and remain open until 7:00 p.m. to provide increased access on September 11. Visitors arriving during peak hours to the Visitor Center may experience delayed entry due to the possibility of overcrowding and to ensure social distancing practices are optimal. The memorial will be open to the public, and visitors are encouraged to adhere to state and federal Coronavirus guidelines.