DH was...we were in NJ visiting my family. He left a week before me to get back to work. He left on an American Airlines flight bound for LAX at 8am out of Newark. Ryan was down with my Dad watching TV and he started screaming when PBS cut in with images of the plane crashing into the first tower. He new his daddy was on an airplane (he was only 2 1/2). I was 4 months pregnant with Drew (in fact it's his 6th birthday today). After the second plane hit we realized what was happening and the media starting saying things like, American Airlines, LAX, Newark and I was in full panic mode...hyperventilating, contractions, the whole bit. I called American and they could tell me nothing...they wouldn't confirm what flight he was on, if he got on, nada. My dad pleaded with them to tell us something, nada (which I get, now). About three hours later they announced the flight numbers and thank god, it wasn't his flight. In the end, his plane was landed in Chicago and he didn't know what was happening. He said the flight crew left the plane immediately...he'd never left a plane after the pilot and flight attendants and thought that was odd. He got into the terminal and saw people crowded around TVs but figured he'd best find out why his flight was interrupted and see if he could get on another flight. After about 30 minutes of mayhem he didn't know exactly what was happening but he knew he wasn't going to get to CA by plane and got a rental car. He had a cell but couldn't dial out (circuits busy). After about an hour I was able to reach him and explained what happened and then we were cut off. He ended up driving home from Chicago to LA in two days (didn't sleep, he was filled with adrenalin).
I ended up leaving NJ on 9/16 (the first day planes flew again) and was the first flight out of Newark. It was surreal to see armed National Guardsmen (thank goodness for our military) partroling each gate. To be honest, the annoying precautions they now take make me feel secure when I fly. It may be a false sense of security, but after what we went through as a family I'll take it.