Regardless of whether or not they got to kill someone, bringing air traffic to a standstill across the US and the UK, fulfills their desire to wreak havoc on us and gives them the power that the little-dicked fuckwits seek.
Good grief...
Security Restrictions, Delays at U.S. Airports
By Debbi Wilgoren, Michelle Garcia and Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 10, 2006; 2:20 PM
At airports in the Washington area and across the country, huge lines formed early this morning and flights were delayed for hours as officials implemented hastily devised new restrictions designed to ward off terror attacks.
Shortly after British authorities announced the arrests of 21 people who allegedly were plotting to blow up jets flying from the United Kingdom to the United States, security officials here tightened searches of carry-on luggage and banned cosmetic lotions, beverages and other non-essential liquids from being brought on board.
At Washington Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia, frazzled airport employees handed time-stamped cards to passengers idling in long security lines, in an effort to gauge how long the wait would be. At Reagan Washington National Airport, passengers who had not yet heard the news from London shouted their frustration with the new restrictions, and watched helplessly as their scheduled departure times slipped by.
A man was pulled out of a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport early this morning because he was carrying Tiger Balm, an herbal pain relief ointment, in his backpack. He was allowed to proceed after he threw it out. Most planes out of Los Angeles were delayed by 15 to 20 minutes, as airlines waited for passengers to make it through.
"Don't expect to make any of your business meetings today," a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines told passengers aboard a flight that was about to depart for Phoenix. "The whole country is like this."
At Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where the snaking lines filled the D concourse completely, police patrolled the perimeter of the surging crowd, carrying plastic handcuffs and automatic weapons.
"Security line! Push to the wall! Security line! Push to the wall! We need to keep this clear," shouted Lori Strum, a customer service representative for United Airlines at BWI.
"No liquids or gels. Shaving cream, shampoo, contact lens solution -- all of it has to be checked," Strum informed the would-be vacationers and business travelers who surrounded her. "You cannot carry any of that on. If you try to carry it on, you will be sent back."
Security officials in the United States said flights to Washington, New York and California operated by United, American and Continental airlines were among those targeted by the alleged terrorist group.
At airports across the United States, employees from the Transportation Security Administration distributed fliers outlining the new restrictions, and hauled out bins so passengers could dump toiletries, coffee, bottled water and other banned items.
Some passengers at Dulles gave away perfumes and other expensive cosmetics to strangers who were dropping their loved ones at the terminal. At banks of pay phones, atop of the phone books, stacks of abandoned tubes of toothpaste, jars of hand cream and bottles of eye drops piled up.
Airport janitors said the need to haul all the discarded items away was keeping them busier than they'd ever been.
Zayna Topallar, a baggage service manager with American Airlines, said the screening process at National's security checkpoints usually takes 30 seconds per person. This morning, that time span stretched to 10 minutes, she said.
"It's about a thousand times worse than normal," said Keith Brinkley, 33, of Arlington, a frequent traveler who was trying to make a 7:30 a.m. flight.
The situation was mirrored around the country. Guards armed with rifles stood watch in several airports, and the governors of California, New York and Massachusetts said they were sending National Guard troops to bolster security. At the Burlington International Airport in Vermont, travelers weren't happy to be leaving behind souvenir maple syrup jugs, the Associated Press reported. In New Orleans, half-used bottles of hot sauce lay in garbage bins. Bottles of wine sat in the trash in San Francisco, south of California's wine country.
In Queens, Bruce Drapeau rode a train home from John F. Kennedy International Airport clutching a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label. The friend he'd escorted to the airport had planned to carry the Scotch on board, he said, and then discovered in couldn't fit into the suitcase he was checking.
"I guess I inherited it," said Drapeau, 42. "He didn't have any space."
Many travelers were stoic, especially after they learned the reasons for the heightened restrictions.
"We all witnessed 9/11, this is only an extra precaution," said Richard Hawse, who was at BWI with his wife and two children, awaiting a flight for a planned trip to Mount Rushmore. "We are all in this together . . . There is a little inconvenience, but in the end, it's all good."
A few, however, were furious.
"It makes me feel less secure," said Tony Thompson, who had gotten to National airport more than 2 hours early to catch an 8:30 a.m. flight to the Bahamas. "When something bad happens, it should be seamless. No one should know about it."
The first outbound flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York-- American Airlines Flight 115 -- arrived at Kennedy about 12:30 p.m., two hours later than scheduled. Passengers disembarked clutching wallets and other permitted belongings in the clear plastic bags they'd been given, thinking and talking about what might have been.
Maya and Lily Dodinson, sisters from Connecticut who are 12 and 14 years old respectively, said they tracked the progress of their plane on the in-flight television screen, watching with anticipation and a little angst as it approached the center of the Atlantic Ocean.
"That," Maya said, "was the point when the bombs were supposed to go off."
By mid-afternoon, the extreme crowds at JFK and elsewhere had dissipated somewhat, as additional personnel arrived to open new checkpoints. Passengers who had heard the alerts knew to arrive arrived extra early, and to stow the banned liquids into their checked luggage in advance.
Among those waiting to fly out of Dulles this morning was Karen Solon, a retired preschool teacher from Falls Church who was hoping to travel to Vancouver to visit her grown son. She said she'd been thinking en route to the airport about whether the increased security that has been put in place since Sept. 11, 2001 was necessary, or overkill. Then she heard the news from London.
"It's a little scary," said Solon, 62, adding that her son has been talking about moving to the D.C. area from Vancouver. She said she'd like him to be closer, but also has misgivings.
"In an irrational way," she said, "I take some comfort in knowing that he's so far away from Washington."
In the District, police chief Charles H. Ramsey said his department is "taking some extra steps as precautions" in response to the situation, including assigning special operations and counter-terrorism officers to work 12-hour shifts.
Metro transit police are stepping up inspections of trains and stations today and tomorrow, and rail and bus drivers will increase their own inspections and walk-throughs, spokeswoman Candace Smith said. The transit system's bathrooms will be closed to the public until further notice and security announcements will be made more frequently.
Transit police staged high-visibility security exercises at the Bethesda rail station and at Farragut North to help reassure travelers.
"There is no threat to mass transit, but it's prudent to step up security given that mass transit has been a terrorist target in the past," said Metro Transit Police Chief Polly Hanson. "We also want to remind passengers that they are our eyes and ears to report any unattended packages, unusual behaviors and anything that seems suspicious."
Riders are advised to call Transit Police at 202-962-2121 or alert a Metro employee about unattended packages, unusual behaviors and anything that seems suspicious.
Amtrak said it is monitoring the situation but is not raising its security alert level.
Garcia reported from New York. Staff writers Hamil R. Harris, Allan Lengel, Lena H. Sun and Theresa Vargas and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
Good grief...
Security Restrictions, Delays at U.S. Airports
By Debbi Wilgoren, Michelle Garcia and Fredrick Kunkle
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 10, 2006; 2:20 PM
At airports in the Washington area and across the country, huge lines formed early this morning and flights were delayed for hours as officials implemented hastily devised new restrictions designed to ward off terror attacks.
Shortly after British authorities announced the arrests of 21 people who allegedly were plotting to blow up jets flying from the United Kingdom to the United States, security officials here tightened searches of carry-on luggage and banned cosmetic lotions, beverages and other non-essential liquids from being brought on board.
At Washington Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia, frazzled airport employees handed time-stamped cards to passengers idling in long security lines, in an effort to gauge how long the wait would be. At Reagan Washington National Airport, passengers who had not yet heard the news from London shouted their frustration with the new restrictions, and watched helplessly as their scheduled departure times slipped by.
A man was pulled out of a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport early this morning because he was carrying Tiger Balm, an herbal pain relief ointment, in his backpack. He was allowed to proceed after he threw it out. Most planes out of Los Angeles were delayed by 15 to 20 minutes, as airlines waited for passengers to make it through.
"Don't expect to make any of your business meetings today," a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines told passengers aboard a flight that was about to depart for Phoenix. "The whole country is like this."
At Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where the snaking lines filled the D concourse completely, police patrolled the perimeter of the surging crowd, carrying plastic handcuffs and automatic weapons.
"Security line! Push to the wall! Security line! Push to the wall! We need to keep this clear," shouted Lori Strum, a customer service representative for United Airlines at BWI.
"No liquids or gels. Shaving cream, shampoo, contact lens solution -- all of it has to be checked," Strum informed the would-be vacationers and business travelers who surrounded her. "You cannot carry any of that on. If you try to carry it on, you will be sent back."
Security officials in the United States said flights to Washington, New York and California operated by United, American and Continental airlines were among those targeted by the alleged terrorist group.
At airports across the United States, employees from the Transportation Security Administration distributed fliers outlining the new restrictions, and hauled out bins so passengers could dump toiletries, coffee, bottled water and other banned items.
Some passengers at Dulles gave away perfumes and other expensive cosmetics to strangers who were dropping their loved ones at the terminal. At banks of pay phones, atop of the phone books, stacks of abandoned tubes of toothpaste, jars of hand cream and bottles of eye drops piled up.
Airport janitors said the need to haul all the discarded items away was keeping them busier than they'd ever been.
Zayna Topallar, a baggage service manager with American Airlines, said the screening process at National's security checkpoints usually takes 30 seconds per person. This morning, that time span stretched to 10 minutes, she said.
"It's about a thousand times worse than normal," said Keith Brinkley, 33, of Arlington, a frequent traveler who was trying to make a 7:30 a.m. flight.
The situation was mirrored around the country. Guards armed with rifles stood watch in several airports, and the governors of California, New York and Massachusetts said they were sending National Guard troops to bolster security. At the Burlington International Airport in Vermont, travelers weren't happy to be leaving behind souvenir maple syrup jugs, the Associated Press reported. In New Orleans, half-used bottles of hot sauce lay in garbage bins. Bottles of wine sat in the trash in San Francisco, south of California's wine country.
In Queens, Bruce Drapeau rode a train home from John F. Kennedy International Airport clutching a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label. The friend he'd escorted to the airport had planned to carry the Scotch on board, he said, and then discovered in couldn't fit into the suitcase he was checking.
"I guess I inherited it," said Drapeau, 42. "He didn't have any space."
Many travelers were stoic, especially after they learned the reasons for the heightened restrictions.
"We all witnessed 9/11, this is only an extra precaution," said Richard Hawse, who was at BWI with his wife and two children, awaiting a flight for a planned trip to Mount Rushmore. "We are all in this together . . . There is a little inconvenience, but in the end, it's all good."
A few, however, were furious.
"It makes me feel less secure," said Tony Thompson, who had gotten to National airport more than 2 hours early to catch an 8:30 a.m. flight to the Bahamas. "When something bad happens, it should be seamless. No one should know about it."
The first outbound flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York-- American Airlines Flight 115 -- arrived at Kennedy about 12:30 p.m., two hours later than scheduled. Passengers disembarked clutching wallets and other permitted belongings in the clear plastic bags they'd been given, thinking and talking about what might have been.
Maya and Lily Dodinson, sisters from Connecticut who are 12 and 14 years old respectively, said they tracked the progress of their plane on the in-flight television screen, watching with anticipation and a little angst as it approached the center of the Atlantic Ocean.
"That," Maya said, "was the point when the bombs were supposed to go off."
By mid-afternoon, the extreme crowds at JFK and elsewhere had dissipated somewhat, as additional personnel arrived to open new checkpoints. Passengers who had heard the alerts knew to arrive arrived extra early, and to stow the banned liquids into their checked luggage in advance.
Among those waiting to fly out of Dulles this morning was Karen Solon, a retired preschool teacher from Falls Church who was hoping to travel to Vancouver to visit her grown son. She said she'd been thinking en route to the airport about whether the increased security that has been put in place since Sept. 11, 2001 was necessary, or overkill. Then she heard the news from London.
"It's a little scary," said Solon, 62, adding that her son has been talking about moving to the D.C. area from Vancouver. She said she'd like him to be closer, but also has misgivings.
"In an irrational way," she said, "I take some comfort in knowing that he's so far away from Washington."
In the District, police chief Charles H. Ramsey said his department is "taking some extra steps as precautions" in response to the situation, including assigning special operations and counter-terrorism officers to work 12-hour shifts.
Metro transit police are stepping up inspections of trains and stations today and tomorrow, and rail and bus drivers will increase their own inspections and walk-throughs, spokeswoman Candace Smith said. The transit system's bathrooms will be closed to the public until further notice and security announcements will be made more frequently.
Transit police staged high-visibility security exercises at the Bethesda rail station and at Farragut North to help reassure travelers.
"There is no threat to mass transit, but it's prudent to step up security given that mass transit has been a terrorist target in the past," said Metro Transit Police Chief Polly Hanson. "We also want to remind passengers that they are our eyes and ears to report any unattended packages, unusual behaviors and anything that seems suspicious."
Riders are advised to call Transit Police at 202-962-2121 or alert a Metro employee about unattended packages, unusual behaviors and anything that seems suspicious.
Amtrak said it is monitoring the situation but is not raising its security alert level.
Garcia reported from New York. Staff writers Hamil R. Harris, Allan Lengel, Lena H. Sun and Theresa Vargas and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
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