"More Airport Security at Hartsfield Since 9/11"

Monday, September 11, 2006

More Airport Security Since 9/11
WXIA-TV Ch 11 (NBC), Atlanta (GA)


Monday's anniversary started out with some tense moments aboard a flight
from Atlanta. The flight, a United Airlines flight from Hartsfield-Jackson
to San Francisco, was diverted to Dallas.

It was because of an unclaimed Blackberry device and an unidentified
backpack - not to mention a bit of uneasiness thanks to the 9/11
anniversary.

No one likes the additional hassle of the added security since 9/11, but
everyone understands the need for it. And five years after the attacks, more
people are flying through Hartsfield-Jackson than ever before.

Some passengers still hold their collective breaths, fearful that their
flight might be attacked.

"I still have a fear that I might fly and somebody might come along and do
something bad," said passenger Keisha Jackson.

But the numbers, post-9/11, show that air travel is booming like never
before. In 2001, because of the attacks, the number of passengers flying
through Atlanta fell nearly 5.5 percent from the year before. But by 2004,
the number of passengers reached and surpassed what it was before 9/11. And
last year, numbers were 7.2 percent above pre-9/11 numbers despite the
hassle factors of tighter security than ever, and flight delays. 

Traveler Charles Graf says he doesn't think twice.

"I feel safer now than probably ever," Graf said. "I think the security of
this country is doing a good job."

Hartsfield-Jackson managers say security is the big reason that the airport
reached 86 million passengers last year - a record high volume. And security
on Monday, they say, didn't have to be any higher than any other day, simply
because it was another 9/11 on the calendar.

"We're always vigilant," said the airport's Felicia Browder. "Since 9/11,
we're always vigilant. At the airport on any given day, you'll probably
notice more police presence, with more dogs. Since 9/11 security is at the
top of the mind for everybody."

Passengers are more vigilant as well, turning each other in for something as
simple as having a bottle of water. Who would have thought of that happening
five years ago?

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