9.14.01 – (LAA) – 9/11 Memorial Services, 9/11 Memorial Skyword, Phone Watch

This is APFA President John Ward with the APFA hotline for Friday, September 14.

As the slow process of getting the world’s largest airline back in the air continues, we haven’t for a moment lost sight of what it was that grounded us in the first place. The pain and sorrow we feel over the tragic loss of our dear co-workers and friends is ever constant.

There will be a Memorial Service tomorrow, Saturday, September 15, in Miami. It will be held at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami from 11:00 AM to Noon. Please call 786-777-1000 for directions. Free parking will be provided in the P2 parking lot. Go to gates 1, 2, 3, or 4 for entrance to the Arena. Please wear your uniform and ID. You must be an airline employee or be accompanied by an airline employee in order to be admitted. All airline personnel are invited. Thanks go to MIA-based Flight Attendant Art Tang for coordinating this event.

There will be a service for BOS-based Flight Attendant Sara Low tomorrow, Saturday, September 15 at the University of Arkansas Community College, 2005 White Drive, Batesville Arkansas 72501. For your information, Batesville is approximately 100 miles from Little Rock. Phone # 870-612-2010. Please wear your uniform.

As information becomes available regarding arrangements for other crew members, they will be announced on this hotline and on the web site. In the meantime, any cards for the individual families of our Flight Attendants on Flight 11 and 77 may be sent to them in care of APFA at 1004 West Euless Blvd., Euless, TX 76040. ATTN: Communications Department. We specifically request that any photographs you may have of any of the crew be sent to the APFA Communications Department, along with any personal stories you might wish to include. These will be used in a future edition of SKYWORD and will also be forwarded to the families. Please send the photos and stories by September 24.

Flight Attendants whose flights were diverted on Tuesday as well as the hundreds and hundreds stranded at layover cities around the world were finally scheduled to begin returning to base today. There are, however, APFA members still stuck in various cities. We haven’t forgotten about you. If you are still away from base and need any assistance, please call the APFA Phone Watch Volunteers at 1-866-ASK-APFA. Phone Watch will be operational over the weekend from 1000 to 1830 CDT and will be open next week, as well, if necessary.

Please ensure you have read and fully understand all that is contained in the FAA’s new Security Directive prior to your next flight. In addition, please make sure to read, understand and fully comply with the HI-6 message regarding new procedures for cockpit access. The FAA has a 24-hour Aviation Safety Hotline for reporting time-critical events that may require immediate action. That Hotline is used to report violations of FARs and non-adherence to operational procedures. Of course, any on board safety concern must first be brought to the immediate attention of the Captain. The # is 1-800-255-1111.

The APFA Health Department has been working closely with the Red Cross and in particular with its counselors. APFA members desiring to speak with a mental health professional regarding the events of this week are urged to call 214-678-4258. Assistance is available 24 hours a day.

President Bush proclaimed today as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the victims of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks. I hope you were able to spend some of this day in quiet reflection.

I’d like to end this week’s hotline by thanking all those who have worked so hard this week assisting APFA Flight Attendants. My fellow National Officers, all the APFA Base Chairs and Vice Chairs, our National Coordinators, our APFA office staff and the many DFW area volunteers who descended upon HDQs almost immediately following the news of the tragedy, offering to help in any way possible. My personal thanks go to four very special folks who volunteered to work on flights which took the American Airlines Care Team members and FBI agents to Los Angeles and Washington on Tuesday evening: Colleen Brenner, Judy Huckaby, Steve Sanders and Marty Turner.

Thank you for calling.