It’s one of those questions that feels like it should have a simple, one-sentence answer. But history is rarely that clean. When people ask where did the 911 planes take off from, they are usually looking for a list of cities. Boston, Washington D.C., and Newark. That’s the short version.
The long version? It’s a haunting map of early-morning departures, mundane airport coffee, and the terrifyingly normal start to a Tuesday that changed everything.
Most of us remember the smoke. We remember the towers falling. But the logistics—the actual runways and flight numbers—tend to blur together after more than two decades. Honestly, it’s a bit weird how the specific details of the departures have faded into the background of the larger tragedy. Understanding exactly where these flights began isn't just a trivia exercise; it explains why the response was so disjointed and why the FAA was caught so completely off guard.
The Boston Connection: Logan International Airport
Logan was the starting point for half of the attacks. It’s a busy hub, even now, but back in 2001, security was a different world. You didn't need to take your shoes off. You could carry a pocketknife if the blade was short enough.
American Airlines Flight 11 was the first to leave. It pushed back from Gate B32 at 7:59 AM. It was a Boeing 767, heavy with 20,000 gallons of fuel because it was headed all the way to Los Angeles. That fuel load is a detail people often forget. The planes weren't just transport; they were flying incendiary devices. Mohamed Atta and four other hijackers were on that plane. They had actually flown in from Portland, Maine, earlier that morning on a commuter flight, which is a chilling layer of planning when you think about it.
Just minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 also took off from Logan. This one left from Gate C19 at 8:14 AM. Same destination: LAX. Same plane model: Boeing 767. It’s wild to think that two planes, departing from the same airport within 15 minutes of each other, were destined to hit the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center.
The air traffic controllers at Boston Center were the first to realize something was wrong. They heard Atta’s voice over the radio—he’d keyed the wrong mic—saying, "We have some planes. Just stay quiet and you'll be okay." Imagine hearing that in your headset while staring at a green blip on a radar screen.
Dulles and the Flight into the Pentagon
While Boston was dealing with its unfolding nightmare, things were moving along at Washington Dulles International Airport. This is where American Airlines Flight 77 entered the picture.
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Dulles serves the D.C. metro area. It’s huge. The hijackers here, led by Hani Hanjour, went through security checkpoints that were caught on CCTV—footage that has been analyzed a million times since. They boarded a Boeing 757. It took off at 8:20 AM.
Interestingly, Flight 77 was actually delayed by about 10 minutes. In a different timeline, maybe that delay changes the outcome. But on September 11, it just meant the plane was in the air while the first tower in New York was already burning. It was headed to Los Angeles, too. All of these initial flights were cross-country trips. The logic was simple: more distance meant more fuel, and more fuel meant a bigger explosion.
Newark and the Outlier: Flight 93
The fourth plane is the one that breaks the pattern. United Airlines Flight 93 took off from Newark International Airport (now Newark Liberty). It was supposed to leave at 8:01 AM, but Newark was congested. It sat on the tarmac for 42 minutes.
That delay changed history.
Because Flight 93 didn't take off until 8:42 AM, the passengers on board eventually found out—via those clunky seat-back GTE Airphones—what had happened in New York. They knew they weren't just in a "normal" hijacking. When we talk about where did the 911 planes take off from, Newark is significant because that specific airport’s morning traffic jam arguably saved the U.S. Capitol or the White House from being hit.
The plane was a Boeing 757 bound for San Francisco. It took off from Gate A17. By the time it was over Pennsylvania, the passengers had decided to fight back.
Why the Departure Points Mattered for Security
Looking back, the choice of airports wasn't random. The hijackers picked hubs. They picked transcontinental flights. They picked the early morning "bank" of departures because they wanted the planes to be full of fuel but not necessarily full of people—less resistance, more heat.
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The 9/11 Commission Report spends a massive amount of time dissecting how the hijackers got through security at these specific locations. At Logan, some of the hijackers set off metal detectors but were cleared after a secondary wanding. At Dulles, the security screening was so lax that some of them were carrying "lethal" items that were technically legal under FAA rules at the time.
It changed how we travel. Period. Every time you stand in a TSA line in Boston or Newark today, you are experiencing the direct legacy of those four gates.
The Physical Legacy of the Gates
If you go to these airports today, you won't find many obvious signs of what happened. For a long time, the industry was hesitant to memorialize the specific gates. It felt too dark.
Eventually, that changed. At Logan Airport, there are memorial markers. American flags fly over Gates B32 and C19. It's a quiet, somber tribute in the middle of one of the loudest environments on earth. At Newark, Gate A17—the departure point for Flight 93—also has a flag and a plaque.
It’s a strange feeling to sit at those gates. Thousands of people pass through them every day, probably wondering if they have time to grab a sandwich before boarding, completely unaware that they are standing on the exact spot where the world tilted on its axis in 2001.
Summary of Departure Times and Locations
To keep the facts straight, here is the sequence of the morning’s departures:
- 7:59 AM: American 11 departs Logan (Boston), bound for LAX.
- 8:14 AM: United 175 departs Logan (Boston), bound for LAX.
- 8:20 AM: American 77 departs Dulles (D.C. area), bound for LAX.
- 8:42 AM: United 93 departs Newark, bound for San Francisco (after a 42-minute delay).
The coordination was impressive in a terrifying way. They had all four planes in the air or moving within a 43-minute window across three different major cities.
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Actionable Steps for Understanding the History
If you really want to grasp the scale of the logistics involved in that day, there are a few things you can do beyond just reading a list of airports.
First, read the 9/11 Commission Report. It sounds dry, but the first chapter, "We Have Some Planes," is written like a thriller. It tracks the minute-by-minute movements of every hijacker and every flight controller. It’s available for free online through the National Archives.
Second, if you find yourself at Logan, Dulles, or Newark, take a moment to look for the memorials. They are often tucked away or subtly integrated into the architecture. It provides a different perspective than just seeing the towers on a TV screen. It makes the tragedy feel local and human.
Finally, check out the National September 11 Memorial & Museum digital archives. They have mapped the flight paths of all four aircraft. Seeing the jagged lines where the planes turned around over the Midwest and East Coast helps visualize the chaos the FAA was dealing with as they tried to figure out which planes were "clean" and which were compromised.
The takeaway? These weren't just "9/11 planes." They were Flight 11, Flight 175, Flight 77, and Flight 93. They were routine Tuesday morning commutes that started at ordinary gates in three ordinary American cities. Knowing where did the 911 planes take off from helps us remember the people on board as travelers, not just victims of a historical event.
Next Steps for Research:
- Visit the official website of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to view the interactive flight path maps.
- Locate the specific gate memorials at Boston Logan (Terminal B and C) and Newark (Terminal A) if you are traveling through those hubs.
- Review the FAA's historical archives regarding the "National Airspace System Ground Stop" ordered by Ben Sliney on his first day as National Operations Manager.