Travelers don't let fear stop them

TAMPA – They thought about significance of the day, of course, but for many travelers on today’s sixth anniversary of 9/11, their decision to fly was made on purpose and with resolve.

Dozens of travelers at Tampa International Airport this morning said they will not let fear of terrorist attacks intrude on their travel plans or their lives.

A moment of silence was observed to mark the time when the first plane struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

But otherwise, today seemed like any other hectic day of travel with people coming and going for jobs, weddings and vacations near and far.

Patrick Connors, 31, of Sarasota showed up two hours early for his Southwest Airlines flight to Colorado, where he will spend a week with a friend who just returned from a year’s duty in Iraq with the National Guard.

"We have to remember," Connors said while drinking a Starbucks coffee before his 8:55 a.m. flight. "But we can’t live in fear. That’s exactly what the terrorists want."

Bob and Joan Barry of Bayonet Point gave the day’s date a "passing thought" but decided to go ahead with their trip to see family and attend a high school reunion in Massachusetts.

"When I booked the flight I said, it’s probably more secure to fly on that day than any other day," said Mrs. Barry, 70.

"I think it’s safer today to fly than it’s ever been," agreed her husband, a retired vice president for Merrill Lynch. “It'll probably take a little more time with all the security checks.’’

"We don’t mind a little inconvenience for more security,'' his wife said.

Valrico resident Diana Morales, 68, bubbled with excitement before her plane left for a missionary trip to Honduras. Was she afraid?

"I’m excited,'' said the retired teacher, who was traveling with a group of 11 from Faith Tabernacle in Tampa. “My day for dying has already been set up by God. I’m not concerned."

-- Melanie Ave, Times staff writer