"Let history remember that the terrorists who seized Flight 93, despite their excess of brutality and fanaticism, failed to complete their mission. Let history remember that their failure was the direct result of a counterattack launched by the passengers and crew of Flight 93."

Let history remember that the last time I flew they took away my moustache scissors. I was left without even that feeble weapon of defense. Hooraa.

I have always wondered why the passengers on the other planes simply accepted their fate when confronted with box cutters.

Warrington,

The passengers of the earlier flights didn't know their fate. They thought the old rules still applied: The passengers consent to be taken, and the hijackers let most of them survive the siege for ransom.

As soon as the new rules became clear, the passengers acted differently and continue to do so to this day.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=488PgNH4IuM

My uncle has long refused to go anywhere without a knife or firearm on him for self-defense. Metal detectors at the airport were a particular problem for him.

He tells me that he recently started flying again:
www.amazon.com/Push-Blade-Kraton-Handle-Plain/dp/B000FJOU9I

Justin,

"The passengers of the earlier flights didn't know their fate. They thought the old rules still applied:"

Who made up those rules? Were no lessons learned on "the playing fields of America"? Box cutters aren't even a knife fight, they certainly aren't Tec-9's. Wrap your coat around your left forearm, make your belt into a hoop and attack. Don't get in wresting matches, go right through them, isolate them. Take only one prisoner.

"hijackers let most of them survive the siege" Most survive under my hypothesis.

I'm sorry, must be the adrenaline.

Dan,

I always carry a pocket knife. Boy Scouts, I guess. Never really think of it as a weapon.

I'm not saying that I supported the old rules or would have followed them under such circumstances, but enough people did that organized resistance to a hijacking wasn't really expected.

Another question is did anyone on the first three flights even know definitively that they'd been hijacked?

Justin,

I have been involved in a few violent situations, but I don't see myself as a "hero in a dark suit". Still, the idea of sitting still while a couple of guys with razor blades turned my world upside down, doiesn't seem likely. I would look for allies. I think I would remember the fate of Mr. Klinghoffer.

I remember this as having a brief American currency:

animatronics.org/strangers/strangers.htm

"Another question is did anyone on the first three flights even know definitively that they'd been hijacked?"

Yes, they did, Patrick. But they might not have known - or believed - the hijackers' ultimate intent until the last couple of minutes.

Patrick asks.. "Another question is did anyone on the first three flights even know definitively that they'd been hijacked?"

Yes they knew their flights had been hijacked. On at least 1 of the 2 NY planes there was at least one call made by a flight attendant reporting on what was going on. The terrorists made their presence known to the passengers and crew. In fact they murdered at least one flight attendant in-flight that we know of and there's no doubt they did the same to the pilots. With the NY flights the passengers did not know what the ultimate end game was and therefore didn't attempt to intervene. As time passed cell phone calls were made to the passengers on the flight that crashed in Pa. They found out what had gone on in NY. Those people knew what the end game was and they fought back. Don't know if they saved other lives or not because we don't know if that plane would have been shot down as it approached DC but they're heroes just the same.

Well done, Andrew, well done.