What if 9/11 had a lower death toll?

[Rath]

During the hijacking, UA flight 175 passed within 300 feet of Delta Air Lines Flight 2315, but what if they had collided? This would have meant that only one plane would have hit the WTC and perhaps the collapse could be averted or occur late enough for evacuation to be nearly complete. How would this effect the future of the US?

 

[Duke of Nova Scotia]

I do not want to sound crass, or callus about those who lost their lives in that tragedy, but the numbers dont matter outside of putting a face to the sense of loss and psychological shock that rolled over the continent.

It really would just mean less names on the memorial, but no change in the actual political and business realities.

Odds are after the tower that got hit went down, if the other didnt fall from proximity, it would still be taken down. It would have received enough damage to warrant the insurance payout and we would get a new tower there.

We would still have an angry "pearl harbour" seeded reaction, with a military response.