--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Had United Flight 93 taken off on…" description: "\"“Had United Flight 93 taken off on schedule, instead of forty-one minutes late, and the passengers hadn’t had time to learn of the other attacks and st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/garrett-m-graff-7343_american-airlines_had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedu_1597548.jpg" --- # Had United Flight 93 taken off on schedule, instead of… ![“Had United Flight 93 taken off on schedule, instead of forty-one minutes late, and the passengers hadn’t had time to learn of the other attacks and storm the cockpit, the plane might very well have successfully continued to Washington and hit the Capitol at about the same time as American Airlines…” quote by Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/garrett-m-graff-7343_american-airlines_had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedu_1597548.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/garrett-m-graff-7343_american-airlines_had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedu_1597548.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/garrett-m-graff-7343_american-airlines_had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedu_1597548.jpg) > ““Had United Flight 93 taken off on schedule, instead of forty-one minutes late, and the passengers hadn’t had time to learn of the other attacks and storm the cockpit, the plane might very well have successfully continued to Washington and hit the Capitol at about the same time as American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. “With hundreds dead and perhaps hundreds of others in burn units in hospitals, Congress would likely have been without a quorum, without a building, without the ability to function,” American Enterprise Institute scholar Norm Ornstein worried.”” [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A hypothetical earlier departure of Flight 93 could have led to a catastrophic attack on the Capitol, overwhelming Congress. **In simple terms:** If Flight 93 left earlier, it might have hit the Capitol, causing massive chaos. Key Takeaway Consider how timing can alter historical outcomes. Themes terrorism contingency government Mood serious analytical Type policy historical When to use this quote - emergency response drills - security assessments - public policy debates Key Concepts Risk analysis historical speculation policy planning Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can prevent timing‑related failures? - How do we learn from “what‑if” scenarios? A Different Perspective Speculation may oversimplify complex events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American Airlines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-airlines/) ## Related quotes > [“Airlines ticket counter for Flight 77, bound for Los Angeles.Within the next 20 minutes,they would”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/airlines-ticket-counter-for-flight-77-bound-for-los-angeles-within/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fear is a great motivator. Look at what 9-11 has accomplished - My god. It's slammed the economy, It's - I can't even begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-bell/fear-is-a-great-motivator-look-at-what-9-11-has-accomplished-my-god/) [Art Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-bell/) > [“crews, added to the unfolding chaos around Washington. It’s possible—perhaps even likely, given a study of the morning’s timeline—that reports of the Doomsday plane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/crews-added-to-the-unfolding-chaos-around-washington-it-s-possible/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [We remember the heroes who ran into the burning buildings to rescue those trapped inside, and the dauntless passengers on Flight 93 who laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-tiahrt/we-remember-the-heroes-who-ran-into-the-burning-buildings-to-rescue/) [Todd Tiahrt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-tiahrt/) > [God bless and help all the victims and patriots of 9/11, from the families of Flight 93 passengers to those who were in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-norris/god-bless-and-help-all-the-victims-and-patriots-of-9-11-from-the/) [Chuck Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-norris/) > [The heroes of Flight 93 won the first battle in the War on Terror, and they should never be forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ramstad/the-heroes-of-flight-93-won-the-first-battle-in-the-war-on-terror-and/) [Jim Ramstad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ramstad/) > [I was in the Navy when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked and Flight 93 went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikie-sherrill/i-was-in-the-navy-when-the-world-trade-center-and-the-pentagon-were/) [Mikie Sherrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikie-sherrill/) > [The passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, recognizing the potential danger that the aircraft they were aboard posed to large numbers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/the-passengers-and-crew-of-united-airlines-flight-93-recognizing-the/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [“lets roll -todd beamer hero of united airlines flight 93”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-beamer/lets-roll-todd-beamer-hero-of-united-airlines-flight-93/) Todd Beamer > [The Flight 93 Memorial isn't that easy to get to. It isn't like the memorials in New York City or Washington, D.C., where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-perino/the-flight-93-memorial-isn-t-that-easy-to-get-to-it-isn-t-like-the/) [Dana Perino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-perino/) > [We will never forget the passengers of Flight 93, who courageously confronted the terrorists, defeating another planned attack on America. They are the heroes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-taft/we-will-never-forget-the-passengers-of-flight-93-who-courageously/) [Bob Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-taft/) > [“By all accounts, the first 46 minutes of Flight 93’s cross-country trip proceeded routinely. Radio communications from the plane were normal.Heading, speed, and altitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/by-all-accounts-the-first-46-minutes-of-flight-93-s-cross-country/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hurricane Sandy gives American Airlines a great excuse for running as late as they always do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hurricane-sandy-gives-american-airlines-a-great-excuse-for-running-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At American Airlines, we have built a business around the love of travel that has lasted three quarters of a century. And I'm pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-arpey/at-american-airlines-we-have-built-a-business-around-the-love-of/) [Gerard Arpey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-arpey/) > [“(Group~ OFFER) Does American offer assistance for group travel planning? Planning travel ((800))\*301((46@29)) for a large group can be a complex undertaking, but American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/air/group-offer-does-american-offer-assistance-for-group-travel-planning/) air ## More by Garrett M. Graff > [“Humphrey had even visited the CASPER facility on multiple occasions under the cover of darkness during vacations at the Greenbrier. In 1970, after his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/humphrey-had-even-visited-the-casper-facility-on-multiple-occasions/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“In many ways, after many decades, many billions of dollars, and countless advances in technology, the federal government’s basic plan to escape a catastrophe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/in-many-ways-after-many-decades-many-billions-of-dollars-and/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“Kennedy, who had campaigned strongly on the “Missile Gap” issue, soon discovered as president that the Soviet Union didn’t have the 500 missiles feared—it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/kennedy-who-had-campaigned-strongly-on-the-missile-gap-issue-soon/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“Hundreds more staff could join the ship in an emergency. (One young Navy ROTC officer, Bob Woodward, who went on to be a prizewinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/hundreds-more-staff-could-join-the-ship-in-an-emergency-one-young/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“waned. Efforts to protect civilian life fell by the wayside and a fourth and final grim phase of nuclear reality settled over the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/waned-efforts-to-protect-civilian-life-fell-by-the-wayside-and-a/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“updates to the nation’s nuclear weapons policies represented just the third major shift in the Cold War; following Eisenhower’s “massive retaliation” and the “assured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/updates-to-the-nation-s-nuclear-weapons-policies-represented-just-the/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“The president called upon the Marine emergency evacuation helicopter that the White House Military Office had stationed nearby in the event of a surprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/the-president-called-upon-the-marine-emergency-evacuation-helicopter/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“things went quickly awry. Thermonuclear bombs were still not well understood and the weapon, code-named CASTLE BRAVO, turned out to be three times more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/things-went-quickly-awry-thermonuclear-bombs-were-still-not-well/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“inside forget they were hiding in an underground bunker. Under normal circumstances, personnel approaching the PEOC would arrive at its locked vault door, located…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/inside-forget-they-were-hiding-in-an-underground-bunker-under-normal/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“literally rocketing into the sky at a seemingly impossible steep pitch as it activated for the first and only time in its history a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/literally-rocketing-into-the-sky-at-a-seemingly-impossible-steep/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“The commission also confronted one of the strangest and most nettlesome phrases in COG operations—a seemingly unnecessary aside in the language guiding presidential succession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/the-commission-also-confronted-one-of-the-strangest-and-most/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“Court Clerk Harold Willey was dispatched by Warren to spend a fall weekend scouting Asheville for a possible relocation facility. “Because all large cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/court-clerk-harold-willey-was-dispatched-by-warren-to-spend-a-fall/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“The U.S. would have to “reinterpret” the Constitution to provide for preemptive searches and seizures when atomic terrorism was involved. Remarkably, over the decades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/the-u-s-would-have-to-reinterpret-the-constitution-to-provide-for/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“The crash program for building the “super” dwarfed even the Manhattan Project. The AEC nearly tripled in size, growing from a handful of sites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/the-crash-program-for-building-the-super-dwarfed-even-the-manhattan/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) > [“In an era where detailed maps and especially aerial surveillance were scarce, the government carefully maintained redundant map sources far from the capital: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/in-an-era-where-detailed-maps-and-especially-aerial-surveillance-were/) [Garrett M. Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) [Explore all 92 Garrett M. Graff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/) ## More American Airlines quotes > [“(Group~ OFFER) Does American offer assistance for group travel planning? Planning travel ((800))\*301((46@29)) for a large group can be a complex undertaking, but American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/air/group-offer-does-american-offer-assistance-for-group-travel-planning/) air > [At American Airlines, we have built a business around the love of travel that has lasted three quarters of a century. And I'm pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-arpey/at-american-airlines-we-have-built-a-business-around-the-love-of/) [Gerard Arpey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-arpey/) > [Hurricane Sandy gives American Airlines a great excuse for running as late as they always do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hurricane-sandy-gives-american-airlines-a-great-excuse-for-running-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [American Airlines on Wednesday canceled 2400 flights this week stranding 150,000 travelers as it inspected the wiring on some of its jets. Said one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-meyers/american-airlines-on-wednesday-canceled-2400-flights-this-week/) [Seth Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-meyers/) > [If you would look up bad labor relations in the dictionary, you would have an American Airlines logo beside it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-joe-kendall/if-you-would-look-up-bad-labor-relations-in-the-dictionary-you-would/) Elton Joe Kendall > [Massimo Vignelli designed a timeless, elegant, and powerful identity for American Airlines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/massimo-vignelli-designed-a-timeless-elegant-and-powerful-identity/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [I literally live on American Airlines' 737 commercial airplane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-schwartz/i-literally-live-on-american-airlines-737-commercial-airplane/) [Daniel Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-schwartz/) > [I bought a lifetime pass on American Airlines and had a blast. The most memorable was going to Barcelona on a whim and scalping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/i-bought-a-lifetime-pass-on-american-airlines-and-had-a-blast-the/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [New Rule: News organizations have to stop using the phrase: "We go beyond the headlines." That's your job, dummy. You don't see American Airlines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-news-organizations-have-to-stop-using-the-phrase-we-go/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Never, ever get on an American Airlines flight. They will make you wait four hours, and then, when you complain about it, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/never-ever-get-on-an-american-airlines-flight-they-will-make-you-wait/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [“The year I snuck an interracial lesbian couple into the background of an American Airlines commercial, I was feeling particularly flush.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/the-year-i-snuck-an-interracial-lesbian-couple-into-the-background-of/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“It was in fact the ordinary nature of everything preceding the event that prevented me from truly believing it had happened, absorbing it, incorporating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/it-was-in-fact-the-ordinary-nature-of-everything-preceding-the-event-2/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I retired at twenty-nine, bought a life-time pass on American Airlines and my only goal in life was to party like a mad man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/i-retired-at-twenty-nine-bought-a-life-time-pass-on-american-airlines/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [“  “Bad news. The Egyptians have left Bogotá on one of six American Airlines’ flights. Steve, I lost them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-braungart/bad-news-the-egyptians-have-left-bogot-on-one-of-six-american/) [Karl Braungart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-braungart/) > [“Because the rapture teaching has been promoted so heavily in our society, even outside the church, a rumor has circulated that some higher-ups at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wohlberg/because-the-rapture-teaching-has-been-promoted-so-heavily-in-our/) Steve Wohlberg [Browse all 20 American Airlines quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-airlines/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Had United Flight 93 taken off on schedule, instead of forty-one minutes late, and the passengers hadn’t had time to learn of the other attacks and storm the cockpit, the plane might very well have successfully continued to Washington and hit the Capitol at about the same time as American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. “With hundreds dead and perhaps hundreds of others in burn units in hospitals, Congress would likely have been without a quorum, without a building, without the ability to function,” American Enterprise Institute scholar Norm Ornstein worried.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Garrett M. Graff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedule-instead-of-forty-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American Airlines" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedule-instead-of-forty-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/garrett-m-graff-7343_american-airlines_had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedu_1597548.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/garrett-m-graff-7343_american-airlines_had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedu_1597548.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/garrett-m-graff-7343_american-airlines_had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedu_1597548.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Had United Flight 93 taken off on schedule, instead of forty-one minutes late, and the passengers hadn’t had…” — Garrett M. Graff", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Garrett M. Graff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-m-graff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Had United Flight 93 taken off...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedule-instead-of-forty-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-m-graff/had-united-flight-93-taken-off-on-schedule-instead-of-forty-one/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```