Guns, guards and fear now part of our flight plans

By ROBERT N. JENKINS

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 16, 2001

A few years back, some U.S. airport officials sought to ease passenger stress brought on by the hurry-up-and-wait in the terminal and the cattle car experience of being airborne. They hung paintings, placed statuary, displayed artwork and added rocking chairs and even musical combos to the terminals.

Now, instead of minimuseums or performance venues, our airports may soon resemble military camps.

The horrific events in New York and Washington on Tuesday undoubtedly will be the tragic impetus for truly securing the safety of passengers. If my experiences at some European airports are any indication, you had best get used to the idea of pulling that roll-aboard bag past the gaze of uniformed guards holding automatic weapons.

And unlike the typical "security" personnel now hanging around the X-ray machines, these guards are not going to remind you of your kindly aunt or daydreaming grandfather.

In Amsterdam a few years ago, I entered the vast Schipol airport and faced a broad bank of check-in counters, arranged airline by airline. But I could not find the desk for passengers flying out on Delta.

I saw a sign for Delta, pointing down a corridor. After a long walk, I entered a narrow doorway and found the check-in counter. I glanced around and was astonished to see a guard holding an automatic rifle.

When I got to the counter, I was grilled about the ownership of the laptop computer I was carrying. I had said it was not my laptop but was issued to me by my employer. Finally I showed the unsmiling clerk my business card and then the laptop's tiny metal inventory plate bearing the Times logo.

Once at the gate, I noticed that the guard from the check-in room was now patrolling the waiting area. Through the windows, I saw guards frisk the service workers who approached our plane before allowing them onboard.

Just as unnerving as this experience was seeing the armored personnel carrier parked in front of a door at the departures terminal for Frankfurt's sprawling airport. The check-in counter closest to this door belonged to the Israeli national airline, El Al.

An airport public relations worker told me that when El Al jets are on the runway, other armored vehicles race alongside them, serving as shields against possible attacks.

Inside the Frankfurt terminal, trios of tough-looking men patrolled, each carrying a submachine gun. "Former East German border guards," explained my escort. "They are serious, and they know how to use those guns."

The demeanor of those men made the armed guards I saw inside Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport look amateurish.

That there will be more uniformed security forces placed in America's airports is almost certain; perhaps they will not be so heavily armed as those in Europe, with its multitude of national borders.

But speaking Wednesday at a press conference, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta advised:

"There will be higher levels of surveillance, more stringent searches. . . . We must do whatever it takes with safety as our highest priority."

So be prepared to arrive even earlier for a flight than you have been -- perhaps two hours for a domestic flight, instead of one.

If you park your car in a short-term lot, it will be inspected.

Forget about the time saver of checking your bags at an airline's hotel counter or with curbside porters, who are even less trained in threat detection than the low-paid workers at the X-ray stations.

When you do reach the security checkpoint, expect more hand inspections of your carry-on items. Plan on being scanned with handheld detectors -- I have set those off twice with the foil from packs of chewing gum. (Women wearing underwire bras are likely to sound the alarm, too.)

You no longer will be accompanied to your gate by nonflying friends or relatives: Only people with boarding passes will be allowed through the checkpoint. Guards may also be posted at the boarding areas for trams headed to the gate areas.

And there are likely to be fewer seats available on many flights, as armed undercover "sky marshals" begin flying again. This security upgrade was put in place during the frightening skyjackings that began in the '60s.

Will all of these added precautions make us feel safer? Or will last week's tragedy make us so fearful that we will avoid travel in anything but the family car?

While other incidents of terrorism have caused brief declines among commercial carriers, months without further problems have always led to upturns for the travel industry.

Just now, however, we all are rightly nervous. Recognizing our reluctance to think about leisure travel so soon after the terrorism, many of the travel companies that had placed ads in today's Travel section called Tuesday to have the ads removed. That's why today's section may look different to you.

The terrorists have changed our lives, introducing fear and uncertainty never experienced within our borders. No paintings or musical performances in airport terminals are going to chase that away.

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