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news
Airport security
ready for takeoff
By Jamie Rogers
On-line Forty-Niner
While airports
have begun allowing limited flights after the Sept. 11 hijackings
and terrorist attacks, they are operating under highly intensified
safety precautions.
The initial response
after the attacks was the unprecedented grounding of all air
travel, due to intensified safety precautions.
Norman Mineta,
U.S. secretary of transportation announced Thursday that air
space was again open to commercial flights. Airports were
then given the task of assuring passengers that they are safe.
The Long Beach
Airport allowed its first flight, America West Airlines Flight
7, to leave at 12:30 p.m. Thursday and is expected to operate
at normal capacity today, according to Sharon Diggs-Jackson,
public affairs officer for Long Beach Airport.
"Our expectation
is to do normal commercial and carrier flight service [Monday],"
Diggs-Jackson said. "That is 14 arrivals and departures
a day, 11 of them commercial."
Diggs-Jackson said
the airlines are still recommending passengers check with
their airline before going to the airport.
"We are fine
right now," she said. "But the airlines have a domino
effect. If airports have to shut down somewhere our flights
land, that is going to affect us here in Long Beach."
After checking
with the airlines, Diggs-Jackson said she recommends travelers
arrive at least two hours before the flight's departure to
accommodate new security measures.
To comply with
a federal mandate that there be a 300-foot no-parking area
surrounding the terminal, the Long Beach Airport must now
limit parking in the main lot and in the parking structure.
Any vehicles parked in front of the terminal will be towed.
The airport also
discontinued curbside check-in and the balcony on the second
floor of the airport terminal is closed to the public. The
passenger boarding area will only be open to ticket passengers
carrying boarding passes.
The presence of
airport security officers has increased and the Long Beach
Police Department will also patrol the area. Diggs-Jackson
said passengers should be prepared for random identity checks.
"There is
an absolute need to carry positive identification," Diggs-Jackson
said, adding that passenger's luggage is also subject to scrutiny.
Los Angeles International
Airport also reopened Thursday and scheduled two incoming
flights and 100 outbound flights that day, a far cry from
the usual 2,200 flights in and out of LAX. By Monday, LAX
was allowing approximately 60 percent of its normal flights,
according to Gail Gaddi, spokeswoman for LAX. Gaddi also recommended
passengers check with their airlines before heading to the
airport.
"Keep in touch
with your travel agency," she said.
LAX, which was
the destination of two of the planes destroyed by the terrorists,
has taken similar security measures. For example, private
vehicles are prohibited in the airports Central Terminal Area.
The airport is recommending passengers take commercial vehicles,
which are allowed in the Central Terminal Area.
"I can not
speculate on how long this will last," Gaddi said. "There
will also be no curbside check in. Passengers must check in
at the counter."
Gaddi also said
that absolutely no knives or cutting instruments will be allowed
in the terminal.
In addition to
the security measures the airports are taking, U.S. Attorney
General John Ashcroft announced today that several federal
agents will be flying on commercial airlines for added security,
according to the Associated Press.
Airlines also reported
to the Associated Press that they have lost $1 billion since
Tuesday's attack. The bulk of this loss comes from closing
the airports and airlines canceling flights but some comes
from the cost of strict security, according to Diggs-Jackson.
"We had to
increase the level of security so that increased [the airport's]
expenses," she said. "We have additional law enforcement
officers, some from Long Beach Police Department. We have
had parking restrictions and are trying to work with customers
who are stranded. But these are initial effects not long-term
problems. Our car services were back in line Wednesday. I
am sure the taxi services had some short-term loss. I don't
really think anyone has a handle yet on the long-term effects
of this."
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