Working amid change

Jose Paul Corona

Lynette Palmquist is confident that terrorists will never be able

to take over a passenger plane again.

“I don’t think passengers are ever going to let that happen

again,” said the Surf City flight attendant.

Palmquist, who has flown with American Airlines for the past 14

years and works out of John Wayne Airport, was scheduled to fly on

Sept. 11, 2001 but her girlfriend filled in for her.

Her job has changed more dramatically in the past year than in all

13 prior years combined.

“They’ve given us a lot more additional training,” she said. “I

don’t think this will happen again, the flight attendants won’t let

it happen again.”

Palmquist wouldn’t go into details about the type of training that

she’s received since the attacks for fear that terrorists will learn

what airline employees are taught to watch out for.

Shortly after the attacks, an American Airlines flight attendant

appeared on television and discussed her safety training in detail.

Airline officials were shocked and so were her co-workers, Palmquist

said.

Airline passengers will play a key part in preventing such attacks

in the future, Palmquist said. Their attitudes are completely

different now.

“I think a lot of people are nicer to each other,” she said.

Passengers have learned to not worry about the little things so

much, she said. Delayed flight times and small inconveniences are

things they have learned to deal with.

Passengers are also looking at other people on the plane. They

make sure to be more aware of their surroundings, Palmquist said.

That wasn’t something that passengers did before.

Sept. 11 did more than change the job description, Palmquist said.

It also upset job security. The terrorist attacks coupled with a

stagnant economy have made the airline industry an unstable one.

Flight attendants aren’t the only ones affected by the tough

economic times, she said. Pilots, mechanics, runway personnel and

people employed throughout the airport all feel it.

“People don’t realize that everybody gets hurt,” she said.

“Everybody loses their jobs.”

Palmquist hasn’t lost her job, but many people will, she predicts.

Because of her long service with the company she’s been able to take

an extended leave.

Sept. 11 is more than the day America was attacked for her, it is

also her son Alex’s birthday. The 43-year-old mother and wife was

already on leave to care for her 1-year-old son. She asked for more

time off. Rather than laying off employees, American Airlines has

done its best to accommodate anyone with time-off requests, she said.

She now flies occasionally, when she’s needed, and has flown twice

this month. Alex turns two this year and Palmquist knows that one day

he will realize the seriousness of that day, but it won’t be

happening for quite some time.

“I’m just glad that he’s too young to understand that his birthday

is on a really tragic day,” she said.