"Holiday Ends Quietly At Region's Airports"

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Holiday Ends Quietly At Region's Airports 
Traffic Still Lower Than a Year Ago 
By Sara Kehaulani Goo
The Washington (DC) Post


The Memorial Day weekend started with a rush of travelers leaving town
Thursday and Friday but ended on a quiet note yesterday at Washington's
three major airports, with no security problems or passenger delays
reported.

Airline employees at Baltimore-Washington International Airport adjusted
ropes for ticket-counter lines yesterday as passenger traffic slowed in
the afternoon. By evening, all three of the region's airports said their
arrival gates were busy as full flights of vacationing passengers
returned home. Airport officials expected to see more of the same today.

"A typical holiday weekend is always going to be a little busier," said
Amy Knight, a BWI spokeswoman. She said the weekend overall was "quiet."

Nationwide, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said
she knew of no major airports that evacuated terminals or reported major
security breaches. "It was a pretty routine weekend," said FAA
spokeswoman Laura Brown.

The Memorial Day holiday begins what is traditionally the busiest and
most profitable season for the airline industry.

BWI, which had heavy crowds Friday, said this weekend was its busiest so
far this year, although passenger levels are still off 7.3 percent this
month compared with a year ago. Passenger traffic at Dulles
International Airport was off 8.7 percent in March, the most recent
figure available, and traffic at Reagan National Airport fell 25.8
percent in March, although the airport recently gained approval to
reopen to full capacity.

Nationwide, the number of passengers flying declined 12.9 percent in
April, although the numbers have gradually improved since the Sept. 11
attacks, according to the Air Transport Association.

Helen Showers said the extra hour she spends at the airport doesn't keep
her from flying, instead of driving, for long weekend trips. She arrived
yesterday at BWI from Atlanta on Air Tran -- a flight she has taken
twice in the past two weeks to attend graduations for family members.

"The security doesn't matter to me," Showers said. "It takes longer, but
I get there earlier."


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