Officials Apologize for Ill-Timed Fire Drill at Boston Airport

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

Travel Motto: "Don't be boring."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle (when the first class private suite isn't available)."

E-mail her at cteel@smartertravel.com.

See recent posts by Caroline Morse Teel

Officials from the Massachusetts Port Authority and Governor Deval Patrick have apologized for conducting a fire training exercise at Boston’s Logan International Airport on the 12th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The drill consisted of a large object (similar to a plane) being set on fire, causing big flames and heavy smoke, which alarmed witnesses who were unaware that this was not a real emergency.

According to The Boston Globe, Massport had announced the drill earlier, by announcing, “The Fire Department will be training this morning. Smoke on the airfield is part of the training.”

The two planes that hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 departed from Logan Airport, and the airport holds a memorial service every year.

After fielding numerous complaints on social media, Massport released a statement saying, “Massport apologizes for conducting the fire training exercise and understands that it may have offended many of those touched by the events of Sept. 11,” reports Boston.com

Governor Patrick also apologized, saying, “I have to believe they just didn’t catch this. The people who experienced 9/11—many of whom work at Massport—I just feel so sorry.”

You Might Also Like:

(Photo: Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts via Leena Robinson/Shutterstock.com)

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.