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CNN Live At Daybreak

For Summer Air Travelers, Prepare for Worst and Hope For Best

Aired May 28, 2002 - 05:16   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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. That doesn't sound like a fun way to start your summer vacation, but our Patty Davis says that's what travel industry officials are telling people who plan to fly this summer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIE STALLARD, TRAVELER: Are those your music CDs?

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a summer ritual, vacation. But this year, Christie Stallard, her 5-year-old son and her boyfriend have chosen not to fly from Washington, D.C. to Connecticut. They're making the five to six hour trek by car instead.

STALLARD: Drive versus fly, for me it's the convenience of driving, putting all the stuff into the car and the hassle of going to the airport, waiting in lines, packing your stuff and checking it all.

DAVIS: Those who do choose to fly this summer are likely to see delays.

DAVID STEMPLER, AIR TRAVELERS ASSOCIATION: I think the word for the summer is probably delay. And what we're telling our passengers is prepare for the worst and just hope for the best.

DAVIS: While the number of passengers is still 10 percent below pre-September 11 levels, the FAA says the number of flights has rebounded.

JANE GARVEY, FAA ADMINISTRATION: Some of the busier hubs like Chicago and Dallas, we're seeing Atlanta, we're seeing at certain times of the day certain days of the week the numbers are even higher than last year's.

DAVIS: Longer lines and longer waits are predicted at airports.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have your tickets ready, please. Right this way.

DAVIS: As new federal screeners take over and have to learn the ropes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So all of these people have got to be trained and they're new at their job. And I think that's going to be the cause of delay. So it's going to be like two steps forward and one step back.

DAVIS: CNN has learned that the airlines knew as far back as 1998 that Osama bin Laden was threatening to hijack or bomb airplanes.

Although there are no specific warnings about air travel this Memorial Day holiday, there is a sense of heightened alert within the aviation system. All the more reason not to fly, says Stallard. She was in the air on 9/11.

STALLARD: We flew, actually flew over the World Trade Center and just with a 5-year-old son, it's just a little bit, I'm a little bit more at ease driving.

DAVIS (on camera): The FAA is confident it can move traffic along this summer with new routes and more frequent weather forecasts. But, it says, bad weather remains the wild card.

Patty Davis, CNN, at Reagan National Airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: As it always is. So, hey, get out of the house. Gas up the car. Grab the kids and hit the road. But before you do, check out our Web site. You can find everything from the top 10 wackiest roadside destinations to the very best beaches. Just click on cnn.com. the AOL keyword is, of course, CNN.

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