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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Under Attack: Airport Security Tightening Before It Reopens

Aired September 13, 2001 - 07:19   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's turn it over now to one of our affiliate reporters with WABC. Lisa Quintana is at LaGuardia Airport, where some service is now resuming -- Lisa, is it still on a limited basis?

LISA QUINTANA, WABC CORRESPONDENT: Oh, not even that. As of yet there has been no air activity. Now, the airport here, LaGuardia, did reopen at six o'clock in the morning. Behind me you'll see airport employees, you'll see airport passengers back there. But if we walk over here, you'll see that the security checkpoint that leads to the airport gates, well that railing is still down. So as of yet no flights have come in, no flights have gone out.

However, passengers are here. There's a sense of confusion. There's a sense of concern. We were told to tell the passengers you should call your airline ahead. You have to rebook your flight.

But I spoke to one woman and she did call her airline ahead and they told her her flight would be leaving at seven in the morning. She's still here. That flight hasn't left.

So that gives you an idea of what today is going to be like. It is going to be far from normal. If you do, call ahead. If you do come to the airport, you have to be very patient. Like I said, it'll be a far from normal day.

Again, a lot of security changes. No curbside check-in. Movement inside the terminal will be restricted. They only want ticketed passengers inside here. They don't want people to meet and greet people who are arriving on these planes. So again, changes. Give yourself extra time. Be prepared for the new security procedures.

We're live from LaGuardia Airport. I'll give it back to you.

O'BRIEN: Lisa, before you get away, just give us a sense of how many flights are scheduled right now. Are you getting information from the airlines? Are those monitors giving you some indication as to how many flights may be coming in or out?

QUINTANA: Well, I mean I called American Airlines. We're in the American Airlines terminal. And right now they don't have any scheduled service to leave here today. She says at the earliest it'll be late tonight. If you look at that television screen over there that lists the flights that come in and out, they all read "cancelled." I also spoke to United Airlines, the representative from that airlines. They had hoped that diverted flights would be able to leave early this morning. That hasn't happened. They had hoped that scheduled flights would be able to leave as early as noon.

We're still going to have to wait and see if that will happen, as well.

O'BRIEN: Lisa Quintana is with our affiliate WABC, joining us from LaGuardia Airport. Thanks for being with us this morning.

We should point out Reagan National Airport, Dulles Airport in Washington still not open. No indication as to when they will resume service. This unprecedented grounding of aviation in the United States continuing, but slowly but surely we're headed toward an emergence of air travel once again in the United States.

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