Last Midway Airlines flight, 9/11/01

[Chris Martin]

Hard to believe it was 10 years ago. My colleague Mr. Durrett and I were on the last Midway flight from Raleigh to Atlanta. We didn't have a clue of what was going on, other than we circled around Atlanta for about 20-25 extra minutes waiting for the plane to land. Once in the airport, we went our separate ways. He to a rental car, I to MARTA. I had traveled to Atlanta often enough that I knew not to rent a car. I would take MARTA from the airport to a well selected hotel that was close to a MARTA stop.

Ten years ago, I thought something was unusual when I bought my MARTA pass. At the MARTA stop, there were police with canine units. Not that unusual except for the numbers... I think there were 6 or 8 police and two sets of dogs. And the police were armed with rifles. That was unusual.

Still not knowing what was going on, I rode a silent but packed train from the airport towards downtown. I noticed an edgy, disturbed man and a visibly distressed female college student. He and the distressed student had radios, I didn't. They made me nervous. Something happened to them I could tell. I figured something happened earlier on the train. I was anxious. Then after some unintentional and brief eye contact, the disturbed man blurted out "they flew a plane into the World Trace Center." The train slowed to a stop and he stood up and said in anguish "...two of them" and departed. No one left on the train said a word. Stunned silence.

After reaching my stop, I realized the city was in something of a 'lock down' state. Police state might be a better word. Armed capitol police were at the MARTA entrance. And on the corners... patrolling in cars... everywhere. Now I knew why the man was edgy. Nothing worked but MARTA. Cell phones, credit cards, computers, hotel reservations... all failed. I took MARTA back to the World Congress Center where at SuperCom (the reason I was in Atlanta) I saw the tragedy on TV for the first time.

It would be Midway's last flight. They never flew again. SuperCom was canceled. The GA national guard patrolled the streets later that day.

The world changed. We all changed.