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And away they go…
By Cathy Burke
The Troubador
Stephenville is saying goodbye this afternoon to about 1,200 visitors who were stranded here because of
the terrorist attacks in the United States.
British Airways Flight 225 left Stephenville today at 2 pm. Among the other aircrafts scheduled to
leave today are Delta Flights 67 and 125, and US Airways Flight 741. Airport officials say the
departure date for the remaining four of the eight grounded planes is unknown.
Air travelers, who spent the last two nights at the College of the North Atlantic, were exhausted but
seemed to be in good spirits.
Mauricio de Souza was on his way home to Brazil from Miami when he found himself stranded in
Stephenville. Despite sleeping on a cot for two nights, he is delighted local residents of
Stephenville have been compassionate and hospitable under these circumstances.
"I would like to thank everybody here at the College of the North Atlantic for being so
friendly and helpful in this time of need." he says. "They've done a wonderful job. I really
liked the cards people have sent us. They made me smile for the first time in a while."
De Souza is not the only one feeling this way. College president Pamela Walsh says there's an air of
calm amongst the nearly 400 visitors who stayed at the college.
"When I look out into the lobby and see people watching TV, everything seems to be quiet for the
number of people here," she says. "There is an air of calm here at the college now. Everyone
seems to know where they are going. They even seem relaxed."
The College had previously teamed up with the town to develop an emergency contingency plan. Now they
have the chance to prove it's worth.
"The College has been through several simulations, but nothing on this scale," said Walsh.
"But never before has there been anything on this scale of magnitude, involving people across a
whole bunch of countries, under these circumstances."
Despite the hospitality, travelers are anxious to get home. Mexican traveler Marcia Valodez and her
husband are not on one of the flights scheduled to leave today but hope their plane will depart within
the next few days.
"We are just so tired of waiting for an answer," says Valodez. "No one seems to know
anything right now. We just want to get home to see our families and our loved ones. All we have to do
now is wait."
Until then, the college will be there to provide the necessary means of accommodations to all these
passengers.
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