"Indianapolis airport restrictions tighten, but customers still flying"

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Airport restrictions tighten, but customers still flying
By Amy Hillenburg
The Martinsville (IN) Reporter-Times


INDIANAPOLIS - The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, on the United States
might have caused additional frustrations and fears for flying customers at
Indianapolis International Airport - but it didn't stop them from flying. 

Patzetta Trice, public affairs director for the BAA, the airport's managing
company, said only two airlines have stopped service out of Indianapolis,
ATA and Independence Airlines. "But those changes weren't the result of
events on 9/11," Trice said. 

There are still 12 airlines flying in Indianapolis: 

AirTran, Air Canada, American Airlines/American Eagle, America West,
Continental Airlines/Continental Express, Delta/Delta Connection, Frontier,
Midwest Connect, Northwest, Southwest, United Air and U.S. Airways. 

According to airport news releases in 2006, some of these airlines have
expanded service. AirTran announced new service from Indianapolis to Los
Angeles and San Francisco, Ca., in the spring of this year. 

Northwest offers many of the nonstop flights from Indianapolis and expanded
service to New York, Los Angeles, Florida, San Francisco and Seattle. 

In May, FedEx Express and the Indianapolis Airport Authority announced a
huge expansion at the Indianapolis hub, adding a secondary sort building,
adding 600,000 square feet to its existing facility and employing hundreds
of new workers. FedEx also expanded its lease to the airport through 2028. 

The airport plans to spend $50,000 to build up to 14 new gates, which will
be leased by FedEx. 

Lacy Johnson, president of the IAA Board, said in May, "This expansion,
which is being done without the use of any tax dollars, further establishes
Indianapolis as one of the country's premier distribution centers." 

New federal mandates were also set in place requiring airlines to make their
cockpit doors secure, according to Anthony Black, media representative for
Delta. 

"The Federal Aviation Administration mandated very specific requirements
that all airlines had to comply with, or they couldn't fly," Black said. 

Added security measures 

After Sept. 11, restrictions for carry-on bags included knives; guns; sports
items like bats, golf clubs and ski poles; sharp scissors; electrical
appliances; box cutters; and various other sharp objects. New scanners that
could screen these kinds of items were used in Indianapolis, and employees
from the Transportation Security Administration were trained to handle ID,
searches and screenings. 

But that was in response to terrorists using planes as missiles and
intimidating passengers with knives and guns. The newest threat was unveiled
in August, when CNN and other news stations reported a foiled plot to blow
up 10 airliners with a gel-like substance. 

Pakistan and British authorities arrested 24 people in connection to the
plot, and the Transportation Security Administration immediately banned gels
and liquids from carry-on luggage. 

Passengers, unaware of the ban, found themselves dumping expensive perfumes,
lotions, toothpaste, aerosols, hair products and even medication, because
their larger bags had already been checked. 

Because the threat level remains at orange at the airport, passengers must
check their carry-on items closely before boarding. 

According to the fact sheet, there are some exceptions: 

   * baby formula/milk 

   * baby food in small containers if a baby or small child is traveling 

   * prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger's ticket 

   * essential other nonprescription medicines - not to exceed 4 ounces (120
ml) per container 

   * liquids, gels or aerosols for diabetics or passengers with other
medical conditions (no greater than 5 ounces [148 ml] per container). 

Midfield Terminal 

The $939 million Midfield Terminal project at Indianapolis is scheduled for
completion in July of 2007, according to Syska Hennessy's Aviation Group,
the primary engineer. The new facility will be 1.2 million square feet and
have as an architectural centerpiece, Civic Plaza, designed by HOK, which
will work with the sun and wind to incorporate natural illumination. 

There will be two concourses, 40 passenger gates, more retail space and
state-of-the-art security, passenger conveyance and baggage handling
facilities. The airport will have another FAA air traffic control tower with
the latest radar and communications equipment, and a 360-degree visibility
of the entire airfield. 

A new main entrance from Interstate 70 through a dedicated interchange will
mean less congestion, quicker drop-offs and pickups, tighter security and
more parking areas. Indianapolis has a banner year in airport traffic in
2005, according to its fact sheet. More than 824,000 passengers came through
the facility in March, with 2.3 million passengers in June, July and August.


In November, more than 667,000 passengers went through the airport. The air
cargo activity that year experienced continued growth with more than 1.1
million tons of total cargo volume, a 7 percent increase over 2004.

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