Despite worries that heightened airport security would add to
the hassles of holiday travel, airline passengers Monday said they
experienced few problems as a result of beefed-up screening.
By Jerry Berrios and Sue Doyle, McClatchy News
Despite worries that heightened airport security would add to the hassles of holiday travel, airline passengers Monday said they experienced few problems as a result of beefed-up screening.
“It went smoothly, moved fast, no problems,” said Alice Brown, of Frederick, Md., after she zipped through the security line at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, en route to Dulles International near the nation’s capital.
Heightened security in the wake of a Christmas Day incident aboard a Detroit-bound flight prompted Brown and her son, Charles, to leave his Lancaster home in time to get to the airport two hours before her 2 p.m. flight, instead of the one hour she had previously planned.
“I just watched the news and did what they told me to do,” said Brown, 69.
The Transportation Security Administration is working with federal, local and airline law enforcement to beef up security measures and ensure that it remains strong at airports, according to its Web site.
TSA spokeswoman Suzanne Trevino left a message on her cell phone declining on-the-record interviews with the media.
International flights heading into the United States are under intense security. Passengers should expect to see additional security measures such as increased gate screenings, pat-downs and bag searches, according to the TSA Web site.
These additional security measures delayed dozens of United Airlines flights from Canada into the United States, said Robin Urbanski, United Airlines spokeswoman.
To calm passengers’ tempers caused by the security delays, airlines offered customers travel waivers, enabling them to change their tickets without the associated fees, Urbanski said.
At Bob Hope Airport, the TSA has implemented more security measures but exactly what they are can’t be revealed, said Victor Gill, spokesman for the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, which owns and operates the airport.
The airport is always on “heightened alert” because of the nation’s current high-security status, he said.
“These kinds of periods help intensify that,” Gill said.
The airport already has in-depth security measures in place, including extensive surveillance cameras, he said.
“You just have to assume if you are in an airport, you are being looked at,” Gill said.
Despite last week’s scare, security at Los Angeles International Airport has remained at the same level implemented for the holidays, said Katherine Alvarado, Los Angeles World Airport spokeswoman. Officials decided to maintain normal holiday security operations at the airport because the incident had no direct link to LAX, Alvarado said.
“Officers during the Christmas and New Year holiday season will maintain high-visibility patrols, checkpoints and presence within the TSA screening stations,” Alvarado said.
At Bob Hope Airport on Monday afternoon, Mark and Lupe Zebrasky and their daughters were heading back to Arlington, Texas, after a 10-day visit with family in Burbank.
When the couple showed their state IDs to a TSA official, the documents were scrutinized with a magnifying glass.
“They have never done that before,” said Mark Zebrasky, 36.
The official also asked their daughters, Ailene Camargo, 8, and Ivianka Camargo, 10, their first and last names and their ages.
“They were checking everyone out,” Mark Zebrasky said.
Waiting for his ride outside Bob Hope Airport, Nathaniel Devincentis said he experienced no delays because of added security. In fact, he said his plane arrived in Burbank 20 minutes early.
He appreciated the strict security measures in place at the Pittsburgh International Airport, where he went through security.
“It’s a precaution that the United States should be taking with the threats we have against our country and inside our country,” said Devincentis, a 20-year-old Navy Seabee stationed at Port Hueneme.
Increased security is just a part of traveling nowadays, passengers say.
“If you want to fly, you have to follow the rules,” said Chris Bean, 32, a Northridge resident who flew on Southwest Airlines from Albuquerque to Phoenix and then to Burbank. “Even though you pay a lot (to travel), it’s a privilege. Safety first.”
