9/11: The little-known story of how a small Canadian town took in thousands of stranded passengers

On Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of airline passengers were diverted to a tiny Canadian town because of the closing of American airspace – leading to an extraordinary story of compassion amid the horror and turmoil that unfolded thousands of miles away. 

Airline passenger Jacqueline Pinto was flying home to New York from a vacation in Italy that day when she heard the pilot announce that there would be a delay in landing, according to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Pinto didn’t realize how serious the situation was until her plane landed more than 1,400 miles away at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, Canada. 

Pinto’s flight was one of over 250 routes that were forced to divert to Canada as the U.S. airspace completely shut down. Overall, 38 commercial flights landed in Gander on Sept. 11, the memorial and museum said. 

Soon on Pinto’s plane and other flights, the mood "changed from confusion to shock" as news of the terrorist attacks reached the travelers onboard – both from phone calls and announcements from the cockpit. 

Terrorists had hijacked four commercial airplanes and crashed two of them into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City – which both later collapsed. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. 

After learning about the other attacks, passengers on the fourth hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 93, fought back. The plane crashed into an empty field in western Pennsylvania about 20 minutes by air from Washington, D.C. 

The 9/11 attacks killed 2,977 people – the single largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil, according to the memorial and museum. A total of 441 first responders were killed, the greatest loss of emergency responders on a single day in U.S. history.

With airspace shutdown, over a million passengers landed without incident at nearby airports – including nearly 7,000 stranded passengers and crew who arrived in Gander – a town with a population of just under 10,000.

Pinto spent more than 24 hours confined to the plane with fellow passengers and crew members as security personnel examined each diverted aircraft, the memorial and museum said.

Once they were cleared to get off the plane and go through customs, Pinto, the passengers, and the crew left the airport by school bus. 

Gander steps up: ‘Lend a hand, do what you can’

One problem the town faced: Gander and the surrounding areas did not have enough hotel space for the thousands of stranded passengers. 

That’s when local residents stepped up. Community television stations put out a call to "lend a hand, do what you can," according to the memorial and museum. Schools and nonessential businesses closed to allow Newfoundlanders to volunteer.

"Greeting the ‘plane people’ with warmth, locals provided meals, clean bedding, and hot showers," the National September 11 Memorial & Museum states. "Schools, churches, and legion halls were converted into makeshift dormitories. Some residents, including Derm Flynn, the mayor of the town of Appleton, even invited visitors to stay in their homes." 

Passengers on Pinto’s flight were sheltered in a church in the town of Lewisporte, according to the memorial and museum. 

Meanwhile, pharmacies in the area filled prescriptions for free for those who needed medication, banks of free public telephones were installed so stranded passengers could make phone calls, and many donated toiletries, clothing, and food, the organization said. 

A lot of the food was stored at the Gander Community Centre’s ice rink, turning it into "the largest walk-in freezer in the country," Gander’s mayor, Claude Elliott, was quoted as saying. 

‘We didn’t want to leave’

The local Newfoundlanders also worked to entertain their visitors, organizing tours of the town, bowling matches, concerts by local bands, and introducing them to regional cuisine, according to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

"For us, it was just every day," Janice Goudie, a local newspaper reporter, was quoted as saying. "You don’t turn your backs on people in need."

The U.S. airspace was closed to civilian traffic for two days after the attacks, reopening on Sept. 13, and planes began to leave Gander. 

"We didn't want to leave," recounted one passenger, according to the memorial and museum. "We really were having a great time with those Newfoundlanders." 

Pinto’s flight was cleared to return to the U.S. on Sept. 15. Before leaving, she bought a souvenir tile at the airport "to commemorate her experience in Newfoundland and the hospitality she received," the memorial and museum said.

"Passengers kept in touch with one another and their Newfoundland hosts by phone, made websites dedicated to their individual flights, and even traveled back to Gander for anniversaries of the attacks," the National September 11 Memorial & Museum said.

The passengers and crew of one flight created a scholarship fund for students in the Gander area with an initial donation of $15,000. Since 2001, the scholarship fund has grown to more than $1 million and provided scholarships to more than 200 local students, according to the memorial and museum. 

In Appleton, residents built a Peace Park, featuring a section of World Trade Center steel and a monument dedicated to first responders. Each year on the anniversary of the attacks, Appleton holds a ceremony to remember those killed and to honor those who cared for the stranded passengers. 

"There is goodness in the world that floats to the top in times of disaster," Appleton’s Mayor Derm Flynn said in a 2017 interview, according to the memorial and museum.

Story inspires ‘Come From Away’ musical

The little-known true story about the stranded passengers who found themselves in Canada on Sept. 11, 2001, went on to inspire a Tony Award-winning musical set in Gander. 

In "Come From Away," a cast of a dozen play both residents and passengers, telling stories of generosity, compassion and acceptance, amid the fear and suspicion reigning in America. 

The Source

This story was reported based on information published by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum about the events in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, in the hours and days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It was reported from Cincinnati.