[squarebarb]

that'swhat I was thinking. By the time a flight from France got to the US they would not have all that much fuel to blow something up with.

My last flight from London to Dallas came over Newfoundland. I think we entered US airspace over Finger Lakes NY.

[tort_feasor]

The only contra indication is no Air CAP flights from near my location. Most times there is Orange Alert the planes are turning and burning.

[Fabozz]

"By the time a flight from France got to the US they would not have all that much fuel to blow something up with."

It looks like some (many? all?) of these flights were scheduled to stop, refuel and continue on. Perhaps the plan was to smuggle weapons on board through the lax security of Paris—remember, French police escorted Richard Reid and his plastique-packed sneakers onto that plane—wait for the planes to be refueled in the US and then hijack them right after the second takeoff. That's the only way this really makes sense.

Without refuelling, you're right—the planes wouldn't be bombs as much as they'd be bullets, still destructive and horrible but not in the same league as 9/11.