[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 24, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H6487-H6488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING HEROISM AND COURAGE DISPLAYED BY AIRLINE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS

  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the 
Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 110) honoring the heroism 
and courage displayed by airline flight attendants on a daily basis.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 110

       Whereas over 100,000 men and women in the United States 
     serve as flight attendants;
       Whereas flight attendants dedicate themselves to serving 
     and protecting their passengers;
       Whereas flight attendants react to dangerous situations as 
     the first line of defense of airline passengers;
       Whereas safety and security are the primary concerns of 
     flight attendants;
       Whereas flight attendants evacuate passengers from an 
     airplane in emergency situations;
       Whereas flight attendants defend passengers against 
     hijackers, terrorists, and abusive passengers;
       Whereas flight attendants handle in-flight medical 
     emergencies;
       Whereas flight attendants perform routine safety and 
     service duties on board the aircraft;
       Whereas 25 flight attendants lost their lives aboard 4 
     hijacked flights on September 11, 2001;
       Whereas 5 flight attendants helped to prevent United Flight 
     93 from reaching its intended target on September 11, 2001;
       Whereas flight attendants provided assistance to passengers 
     across the United States who had their flights diverted on 
     September 11, 2001;
       Whereas flight attendants on American Airlines Flight 63 
     helped to subdue Richard Reid on December 22, 2001, thereby 
     preventing him from detonating an explosive device in his 
     shoe intended to bring down the airplane and kill all 185 
     passengers and 12 crew members on board; and
       Whereas flight attendants helped to prevent Pablo Moreira, 
     a Uruguayan citizen, from breaking into the cockpit on 
     February 7, 2002, during United Flight 855 from Miami to 
     Buenos Aires: Now therefore be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) expresses its profound gratitude for the faithful 
     service provided by flight attendants to make air travel 
     safe;
       (2) honors the courage and dedication of flight attendants;
       (3) supports all the flight attendants who continue to 
     display heroism on a daily basis, as they had been doing 
     before, during, and after September 11, 2001; and
       (4) shall send a copy of this resolution to a family member 
     of each of the flight attendants killed on September 11, 
     2001.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Mica) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Matheson) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this afternoon we take up as a body Senate Concurrent 
Resolution 110. That resolution addresses a long overdue requirement of 
this House, and that is to honor the heroism and also the courage 
displayed by our flight attendants not only on September 11 but on a 
daily basis.
  Mr. Speaker, on September 11, 2001, more than 3,000 innocent people 
lost their lives. This devastating number includes some 25 flight 
attendants who were on board the four hijacked aircraft on that day. As 
a result of the tragic events of that fateful day, the vital role that 
these men and women play as a very first line of defense became 
painfully evident. Flight attendants react and they also provide 
essential guidance to passengers during emergency situations. Flight 
attendants are in fact responsible and primarily concerned with 
passenger safety. Once the aircraft door is closed, they not only 
provide safety for the traveling public but also become our very first 
line of defense in aircraft security. They also guarantee that there 
are in fact additional eyes and ears on guard for suspicious and 
threatening behavior.
  Examples of their acts of heroism and service include the actions of 
the 25 flight attendants who lost their lives on September 11 in the 
four aircraft that were hijacked that day. Mr. Speaker, we have honored 
firefighters, police, pilots, and ordinary citizens. Today it is 
fitting that we take some time to recognize those flight attendants who 
served both the aviation industry, the public, and America so

[[Page H6488]]

well. It is also important to note that we also have the remarkable 
assistance that these flight attendants provide every day and 
particularly on the day that those flights around the Nation and around 
the world were diverted.
  The flight attendants on American Airlines Flight 63 last December 
recognized the terrible threat that that aircraft faced. It was not 
security guards. It was not air marshals. It was not a large force. It 
was flight attendants who helped subdue the attempted and now somewhat 
infamous shoe bomber, Richard Reid. They acted. They saved the lives of 
countless passengers on that aircraft. We are indebted to those flight 
attendants.
  Also flight attendants helped prevent another tragedy on a flight. 
United Flight 855 in February of this year, a deranged individual 
attempted to break into a cockpit. I believe that was on a flight from 
South America to Miami. They also acted with heroism.
  In recognition of their vital role as a first line of defense, the 
House voted in July to strengthen the flight attendant training 
program, and those reforms are long overdue because sometimes these 
flight attendants are left at bay to fight these terrorist acts and 
other disruptions on aircraft. H.R. 4635, which is primarily devoted to 
arming pilots and allowing pilots to defend themselves, also requires 
that flight attendants receive much needed hands-on training in self-
defense so they too can defends themselves, the passengers, the 
aircraft, and again serve as a first line of defense.
  As H.R. 4635 demonstrates, the House supports these brave men and 
women and wants to ensure their safety and their security along with 
that of the flying public.
  So today we are considering Senate Concurrent Resolution 110. The 
House passed a similar version of this concurrent resolution earlier 
this month. The concurrent resolution recognizes the over 100,000 
airline flight attendants who have dedicated themselves to serving and 
protecting our passengers, the flying public, on a daily basis. It also 
recognizes the courage and heroism of those who lost their lives on 
September 11. It expresses Congress' profound gratitude to airline 
flight attendants and it rightfully honors their courage and 
dedication. For all these reasons and many more, I encourage my 
colleagues in the House to pass the Senate concurrent resolution so 
rightfully honoring our flight attendants.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), our 
subcommittee chairman. I have enjoyed serving on the Subcommittee on 
Aviation under his leadership, and I appreciate his leadership on this 
bill today.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 110. 
It is such an appropriate thing for us to be doing in terms of 
recognizing the service and honor and courage of over 100,000 flight 
attendants that fly in the skies above this country. It is important 
that we acknowledge their service. And something that has helped us 
focus on this service is the actions that took place on September 11 
and actions that took place subsequent to September 11.
  As was mentioned, 25 flight attendants lost their lives that day. 
That same day let us not forget that all the other planes that were up 
in the sky were ordered down on the ground by the FAA and a number of 
flight attendants on all those flights on that day faced some real 
challenges. They faced the fear that we all felt that day, but they 
also faced the job of having to work with a number of passengers on all 
those airplanes that were being diverted and asked to land on emergency 
notice, and the flight attendants in this country served us well that 
day in terms of dealing with that difficult situation, and that applies 
to the days following September 11. We had a public that was nervous, 
and the flight attendants represented the face of courage. They were 
the first line of defense, quite frankly, in maintaining security on 
those airplanes.
  We know the stories about how they caught the shoe bomber, Richard 
Reid. We know that the flight attendants are keeping their eyes open.
  So it is appropriate that we honor them in this context, but we ought 
to honor them also for all the work they have done. Let us face it. 
When they get on that airplane, they are the face of the airline for 
which they work. The traveling public at times experiences some 
frustrations maybe through delays, maybe through the weather or what 
not. Sometimes those frustrations are unfairly directed towards flight 
attendants because they are the ones who are there interacting with the 
public, and I think that as a profession they deal with that situation 
so well and they certainly deserve our gratitude and our respect.
  It is important that we do not forget the folks who lost their lives 
September 11, those 25 flight attendants, and we owe them a lot. We owe 
them this resolution today to honor what they have done but we owe them 
more. We owe them the commitment that we are going to continue to move 
forward and try to encourage as good a security situation as we can get 
in our aviation industry. That is the commitment we need to make to the 
flight attendants as well. They are on the front lines, and we are 
going to do whatever we can do to back them up to make sure this is a 
secure situation in our aviation industry.
  So it is with great pleasure that I advocate support of Senate 
Concurrent Resolution 110.
  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of 
S.Con.Res 110. The women and men who make up America's flight attendant 
workforce deserve recognition for their role as safety professionals. 
As the eyes and ears of the aircraft cabin, flight attendants have 
historically provided detailed information on countless safety issues.
  Flight attendants are a highly-trained, highly-skilled workforce, 
charged with the safety and security of passengers, other crewmembers, 
and the aircraft itself.
  On September 11, 2001, twenty-five flight attendants onboard the four 
hijacked flights provided the government with vital information, and 
with little more than their own ingenuity and bravery, fought the armed 
hijackers and performed their duties as safety professionals to the 
end.
  Since that day, safety in the air is of paramount concern to 
millions. We now understand the vulnerability that flight crews have 
felt for years. But today, more than 12 months after the attacks on our 
nation, flight attendants are no more prepared to defend the flying 
public today than they were on the morning of September 11, 2001.
  Air Tran flight attendant Susan Cosby began developing her airline's 
voluntary defense training program within days of September 11. In a 
visit to my office, Cosby posed this question, ``Flight attendants have 
always been expected to save lives in emergencies. Why should defending 
the flying public from the threat of terrorism be any different?'''
  Now more than ever, it is crucial for us to recognize the importance 
of flight attendants. It is my hope of America's 100,000 flight 
attendants, that the Congress will quickly pass meaningful security 
training legislation.
  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) that the House suspend the rules and 
concur in the Senate concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 110.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate concurrent resolution 
was concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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