Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Security Changes Underway at Nation's Airports

Aired May 27, 2002 - 14:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Sweeping security changes are underway at the nation's airports, and among them, the government is in the process of switching out private security screeners and replacing them with federal employees.

And as the summer travel season heats up, some of those changes may actually slow you down even more at the airport.

CNN's Patty Davis checking out the scene with some summer travel tips -- Patty.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Well, the American Automobile Association, the AAA, says that this Memorial Day holiday, more people are choosing to drive than to fly.

Now, as the summer goes along, if you are choosing to fly, you may see some long lines in the airport, and that is because security certainly beefed up at airports, and new federal screeners, tens of thousands, are coming on the job all throughout the summer at various airports around the country. And they need to get up to speed.

Now, how about delays in the sky? Well, there are maybe fewer passengers out there taking flights, but the number of flights is actually approaching pre-9/11 levels.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE GARVEY, FAA: While the airlines are still rebounding in numbers of passengers, the FAA's experiences is that month over month we're seeing as steady increase of traffic, and that's particularly true with some of our busier airports, like Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Denver.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: The FAA is trying to move things along this holiday and hopefully for this summer. They have a number of things that they're trying to do, including working closer with airlines. Also getting better weather forecasts, every two hours rather than every four hours.

But they are hoping to avoid a repeat of the summer of 2000. That is when delays were at their worst. I believe it was something along the line of every one in four flights was delayed. Hoping that won't happen again.

That was because of thunderstorms. No one knows whether that will be the case this summer or not -- Carol.

LIN: Hey, Patty, with so much news lately about threat alerts, terrorist red alerts around the country, have you heard anything as far as what airline passengers should be aware of this weekend?

DAVIS: Well, for this weekend, Federal Aviation Administration, the administrator was asked, in fact, were there any threats for this weekend, and Jane Garvey said, no, there were not.

But CNN has learned that as far back as 1998, that the airlines were told that Osama bin Laden could perhaps hijack an airline or bomb an aircraft. So there have been plenty of warnings and threats out there in the past, and certainly a heightened sense of alert, even this weekend, just because of that -- Carol.

LIN: But nothing specific, which is good news, I suppose.

DAVIS: No, nothing specific for this weekend.

LIN: All right. Thanks, Patty. Patty Davis, reporting live from Washington, D.C.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com