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CNN Live At Daybreak
New Intelligence Sparked Weekend Cancellations
Aired February 02, 2004 - 06:03 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: A review for you now. Three airlines cancelled a total of six flights from Europe to the United States, and in some cases the return flights were cancelled because the planes were not available. British Airways cancelled two flights on Sunday and two flights today from London to Washington, and it cancelled one flight Sunday from London to Miami.
Air France cancelled one flight Sunday and one flight today from Paris to Washington.
And Continental Airlines cancelled a flight Sunday from Glasgow, Scotland, to Los Angeles, with a stop at Newark. In addition to that, Continental Airlines also cancelled a flight Sunday from Washington to the Super Bowl city of Houston.
All of the cancellations are believed to stem from intelligence received in the past few days, but that intelligence and the reaction to it are being questioned. You heard Robyn say it.
CNN's Elaine Quijano has more for you from Washington's Dulles Airport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A federal law enforcement source tells CNN the current worries regarding cancelled flights were based primarily on fears that terrorists could possible use planes as -- quote -- "air taxis" to deliver biological, chemical or radioactive material to various U.S. cities. But the source calls the information spotty, and says it may be unreliable.
A senior administration official says that scenario is simply one of many possibilities; that at this point no one scenario is causing greater concern over another.
Lawmakers say the U.S. isn't taking any chances.
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: We don't know how to protect against biological. Therefore, if there is any whiff -- I mean, any sense -- not whiff -- but any sense of biological, you play it safe, and the plane doesn't fly.
QUIJANO: One former counterterrorism official says he believes the government is going too far.
LARRY JOHNSON, FORMER COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL: And I think this constant overreaction to unreliable, unproven, untested intelligence is doing a disservice to the air passengers, to the airlines and to the security of this country.
QUIJANO: For passengers traveling abroad, a mixture of acceptance and anxiety.
KATHLEEN ROTTIER, TRAVELER: There were French police, armed policemen around the airplane as we boarded. I don't know what they were looking for. But in a way it makes you feel uncomfortable, but then on the other hand, that level of security does offer some comfort.
QUIJANO (on camera): U.S. officials say they'll continue to monitor all of the intelligence information and take whatever steps they deem necessary. For now, officials also say there are no plans to raise the nation's terror threat level.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, Dulles International Airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired February 2, 2004 - 06:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A review for you now. Three airlines cancelled a total of six flights from Europe to the United States, and in some cases the return flights were cancelled because the planes were not available. British Airways cancelled two flights on Sunday and two flights today from London to Washington, and it cancelled one flight Sunday from London to Miami.
Air France cancelled one flight Sunday and one flight today from Paris to Washington.
And Continental Airlines cancelled a flight Sunday from Glasgow, Scotland, to Los Angeles, with a stop at Newark. In addition to that, Continental Airlines also cancelled a flight Sunday from Washington to the Super Bowl city of Houston.
All of the cancellations are believed to stem from intelligence received in the past few days, but that intelligence and the reaction to it are being questioned. You heard Robyn say it.
CNN's Elaine Quijano has more for you from Washington's Dulles Airport.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A federal law enforcement source tells CNN the current worries regarding cancelled flights were based primarily on fears that terrorists could possible use planes as -- quote -- "air taxis" to deliver biological, chemical or radioactive material to various U.S. cities. But the source calls the information spotty, and says it may be unreliable.
A senior administration official says that scenario is simply one of many possibilities; that at this point no one scenario is causing greater concern over another.
Lawmakers say the U.S. isn't taking any chances.
SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: We don't know how to protect against biological. Therefore, if there is any whiff -- I mean, any sense -- not whiff -- but any sense of biological, you play it safe, and the plane doesn't fly.
QUIJANO: One former counterterrorism official says he believes the government is going too far.
LARRY JOHNSON, FORMER COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL: And I think this constant overreaction to unreliable, unproven, untested intelligence is doing a disservice to the air passengers, to the airlines and to the security of this country.
QUIJANO: For passengers traveling abroad, a mixture of acceptance and anxiety.
KATHLEEN ROTTIER, TRAVELER: There were French police, armed policemen around the airplane as we boarded. I don't know what they were looking for. But in a way it makes you feel uncomfortable, but then on the other hand, that level of security does offer some comfort.
QUIJANO (on camera): U.S. officials say they'll continue to monitor all of the intelligence information and take whatever steps they deem necessary. For now, officials also say there are no plans to raise the nation's terror threat level.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, Dulles International Airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
