"Airport loses its luster as a time-saver"

Friday, August 8, 2003

Airport loses its luster as a time-saver  
The Associated Press

 
CHICAGO - Just 10 miles from the Loop, Chicago's city center, Midway Airport
has a reputation as small gem of an airport where travelers can escape the
long lines and parking hassles of the huge O'Hare International Airport.

But that reputation is coming under scrutiny. Security procedures put in
place after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, an increase in passengers
and a layout prone to bottlenecks are resulting in chronic delays.

The problems are infuriating travelers and frustrating the two largest
carriers at Midway - Southwest Airlines and American Trans Air.

After travelers waited up to an hour in a line leading to the airport's 10
security lanes and four airlines were forced to hold flights, Mayor Richard
Daley said U.S. officials needed to hire more screeners.

"You beef up your staff," he admonished the U.S. officials. "At certain
hours you do that."

Midway is in the midst of an $800 million overhaul that will add 12 aircraft
gates to the current 31, but since the redesign was planned before the
terrorist attacks, it will do little to alleviate the security delays.

There is only one security checkpoint at the airport, and it leads to 10
security lanes. Other than an 11th security lane being added this weekend,
there is no space for more screeners, according to the U.S. Transportation
Security Administration, which is in charge of airport security.

"We have to take into consideration the design considerations at Midway. It
is pretty much maxed out," said Chris Rhatigan, a spokeswoman for the
security agency. "The security checkpoint is as wide as it can get." The
congestion comes at a busy time for the airport. About 25,000 people pass
each day through security at Midway. And while many airlines are cutting
back, low-cost carriers such as Southwest and ATA have added flights at
Midway, which has experienced an 11 percent increase in passengers this
year.

Southwest and ATA executives met with U.S. and Chicago officials last month
about concerns that long lines for security clearance were hurting their
operations.

A spokeswoman for Southwest, Christine Turneabe-Connelly, said the airline
was pleased with the response and felt that officials were trying to fix the
problem.

George Mikelsons, ATA's chairman and chief executive, also said that he was
encouraged and that he believed that solutions to the backups would be
found.

Passengers may require more convincing, though. James and Kathleen Watson
showed up three hours early for their flight to Las Vegas - just in case.

"We're braced for it," she said.


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dc/dcboard.php

*****************************************