Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Tightens Security Policy

January 9, 2003

Airport Tightens Security Policy 
Starting Saturday, boarding pass will be needed to get past checkpoint 
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA

 
Passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport will need boarding 
passes to get past the security checkpoint starting Saturday, a move that 
eliminates the option of going straight to the gate before checking in.

Until now an e-ticket receipt or itinerary has been acceptable as proof you are 
a booked traveler, but that will no longer be the case, according to the 
Transportation Security Administration.

The change dovetails with the TSA's decision to identify passengers selected 
for additional screening at the checkpoint area.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, additional screening was done at 
the gate just before passengers boarded aircraft. That practice was largely 
discontinued last year as the government started to implement a system in which 
passengers present boarding passes at the checkpoint and submit to extra 
screening there.

More than 265 airports nationwide have switched to the boarding pass 
requirement. Hartsfield-Jackson International is one of the last in the country 
to adopt the new system.

Airlines and airport officials think most fliers already get boarding passes in 
advance. Both Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways, the top carriers at 
Hartsfield-Jackson, have added technology enabling fliers to get boarding 
passes via the Internet or at self-serve check-in kiosks.

"We don't anticipate this creating any significant delays at the checkpoint," 
Hartsfield-Jackson spokeswoman Lanii Thomas said. "They've rolled this out at 
some other airports ... but I haven't heard of any problems elsewhere, so we're 
not expecting it to be a problem."

Delta has advised passengers nationwide for more than a year to have their 
boarding pass at the checkpoint, in anticipation of the government's rollout of 
the program. Company spokesman John Kennedy said he expects few passengers will 
be surprised by the requirement, but added that the airline will add a Web site 
notice and post employees to tell passengers not to forget their boarding 
passes.

"The majority of our passengers have their boarding passes before they go to 
the checkpoint," AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson said. "We've done an excellent 
job of training them to check in online at AirTran.com or at the kiosks or to 
go to an agent.

"Online check-in has been huge. It's been very popular, and passengers can do 
it up to 24 hours in advance."

Travel consultant Chris McGinnis also expected few problems from the new 
procedure.

"Most people err on the side of caution now, and before they even approach 
security they make sure they have everything in order," he said.

Still, waiting to get a boarding pass until reaching the gate has been a 
time-saving tactic for some fliers, especially business travelers on a tight 
schedule and with no luggage to check.

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