DatelineCarolinaAt Columbia airport, ‘it was just the disbelief'

By David Purtell

Lynne Douglas was at work when a co-worker at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport called to say a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

"I remember it was just the disbelief that everyone was in," said Douglas, who still is the airport's director of marketing and community relations.

Douglas did not get home until early the next morning.

"The next few days were very long days," she said

After the initial shock, Douglas said, the rest of the day was spent reacting and trying to accommodate the passengers stranded because all commercial flights had been grounded.

The thing that really sticks in her mind is how "eerily empty" the airport was.

She said the days following the attacks were a time of not knowing what changes would come.

A variety of small changes have occurred at Columbia Metro since September 11. No longer is there 50-minute parking in front of the terminal, and family members cannot wait at the gate for loved ones to arrive.

"The conveniences that people were used to with a hometown airport, all that sort of went away," Douglas said.

The Transportation Security Administration took over airport security, which had been run by private companies in Columbia and at most other airports. Travelers have had to learn to deal with increased security and lengthy screening processes.

"It changed the world of aviation." Douglas said.

But Columbia Metro was able to avoid the large layoffs that happened to many airports and airlines as the industry struggled after September 11, Douglas said.

Douglas said she can't believe it's been 10 years, but says she doesn't have any moments of fear as a result of September 11.

"Personally, I've never felt anxious about this time of the year. With everything that's in place, things are probably a lot more secure," she said.

She said the airport will observe a moment of silence on Sunday, as it has done for the past nine years.

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