Friday, September 14, 2001

Hijackings have implanted fear of flying into some students
By Aaron Chimbel
Staff Reporter

Christina Hager, a junior English and vocal performance major, was expecting to have her parents visit for Family Weekend Sept. 23. Now she is not sure if they will make the 550 mile trip from Leawood, Kan.

The terrorist attacks Tuesday in New York and Washington have forced students and their families to rethink travel plans.

“I told my mom, ‘please don’t feel like you have to come,’” she said.

Marilyn Hager, Christina’s mother, said she has always been fearful of flying, and in light of what happened, she is more afraid. She said right now the trip is on hold.

“If we give (our plane tickets) up, we give them up,” Marilyn Hager said. “That is not the concern.”

She said her main concern is safety. She and her husband were planning to fly on American Airlines.

According to an American Airlines press release, customers ticketed for travel between Sept. 11 and Sept. 18 whose flights have been canceled have three options.

American Airlines will either re-issue tickets for the next available flight, change reservations for future travel or customers can receive a full refund, the release said.

American will waive all ticket change fees. Other airlines including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines and US Airways are all offering similar options to travelers, according to their Web sites.

Monica Kintigh, a licensed professional counselor for mental health services, said she cannot advise people to fly or not.

“Each person has to determine for themselves if things are safe or not,” she said. “In a situation like this you are talking about a realistic fear.”

Kintigh said that for a period of time people may feel fearful, but if the fear persists for more than one year, they should consider seeking help.

“This is different than a fear of flying,” Kintigh said.

Junior English major Hallie Cowden was planning to go to New York to visit a family friend during fall break. Her friend was working in the city, but he is going home for a couple weeks, she said.

Cowden said she would probably have gone to see him if he were going to be there.
“Right now I’m not planning another trip up there because in his words, ‘it’s a war zone,’” Cowden said.

Aaron Chimbel
a.a.chimbel@student.tcu.edu