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In the morning of 11 September 2001, four US passenger planes were hijacked during transcontinental domestic flights. Two of them were crashed into the twin towers of New York''s World Trade Center, leading to the collapse of both skyscrapers. Another one hit the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, near Washington DC. The fourth hijacked plane crashed in western Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to take control back from the hijackers. The death toll from the unprecedented attacks was estimated at around 3,000. In addition to the human, political, and military impacts, the events of 11 September also would have far-ranging economic impacts. One of the industries most affected was the airline industry, an industry that already was suffering before the attacks. Some airlines would close, some would see massive layoffs, and all were faced with substantially lower profits or higher losses. As the year 2002 began, managers throughout the airline industry wondered which effects would be permanent and which would be transitory. They also wondered how they and their airlines should deal with the fallout from the attacks and the other forces that already had been reshaping the airline industry. This case can be used to teach how business can be disrupted greatly by disasters, natural or otherwise. It gives an overview of the global airline industry before 11 September, showing it was a tough industry with not a great deal of profits even before the disaster. It then highlights the impact of the events of 11 September on the airline industry.