"San Diego airport forecasts long security lines"

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Airport forecasts long security lines 
Passenger traffic on a record pace
By Jeff Ristine
THE SAN DIEGO (CA) UNION-TRIBUNE


As summer air travel approaches a traditional peak, federal security
officials are warning passengers at San Diego International Airport to
plan for longer-than-usual lines. 
 
It has been taking 20 to 25 minutes to get through security checkpoints
at Lindbergh Field during the busier times of day, said Michael J.
Aguilar, director of the Transportation Security Administration office
in San Diego. Occasionally, the waits can be up to 45 minutes. 

The busiest time is typically between 5:30 and 8:30 a.m. 

"It has been a very busy summer," Aguilar said Tuesday at a news
conference outside the Terminal 2 East checkpoints. "August is
historically the busiest travel period here in San Diego." 

In August 2003, 1.5 million passengers passed through Lindbergh Field,
the same as July 2003. 

Aguilar said travelers can support the security agency's effort by
arriving early, using see-through bags for carry-on items that might
require inspection, honoring the airlines' limit of one major carry-on
bag per passenger and being diligent about not carrying or packing
prohibited carry-on items such as scissors and knives. 

"Be sensitive to the security concerns . . . threatening the nation," he
said. "None of those threats have been directed at San Diego, but you
just never know." 

Lindbergh Field surpassed records for the number of arriving and
departing passengers this year in February, April, May and June, said
Diana Lucero, a spokeswoman for the San Diego County Regional Airport
Authority. 

Figures for July aren't out yet, but the airport is on pace to beat an
annual record of 15.8 million passengers, set in 2000. 

Many planes leaving Lindbergh Field this summer are full, Aguilar said,
and air traffic on Labor Day weekend is expected to be particularly
heavy. 

The security agency recommends that passengers arrive at the airport two
hours before their departure and check with airlines on possible weather
delays in other parts of the country. 

Meanwhile, a new type of walk-through explosives-detection machine has
completed its field test in Terminal 2 East. Aguilar said the agency
hopes to move the machine to a checkpoint at the western end of the
terminal for continued use. 

San Diego was one of the first three field test sites for the equipment,
which uses puffs of air to detect traces of explosives.


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