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Airlines Cutting Back Flights

Aired March 18, 2003 - 14:25   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: You've heard the old saying, the best offense is a good defense? Perhaps with that in mind, the nation's threat level back at orange, or high, to discourage and thwart potential terrorist attacks. What does this mean if you're traveling, you might ask. Let's go to CNN's Patty Davis, Reagan National Airport. Patty, what are travelers to do, and, for that matter, not to do?
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, what that means is tighter security at airports across the country, and that could, potentially, slow you down.

Some things you may want to do is, first of all, just get here a little bit early. Now, Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge described some of those new security measures on top of the ones that are already in place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Begin the training for the pilots in the cockpits with firearms. Then you've got the hardened cockpit doors. You have training for the flight attendants. You have more federal air marshals. You come outside the airline -- the airplane itself, and you have technology, 100 percent inspection of baggage. You have new trained inspectors for passengers. You enhance airport security outside the perimeter. There will be additional random inspections of vehicles and potentially, depending on the airport, some limitations of -- ingress and egress into the airport.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: Airports are currently awaiting that security direction from the Transportation Security Administration on exactly what they'll be ordered to do. But chief among those, as Mr. Ridge said, random inspections of vehicles. A sign out there at Reagan National Airport today that you are subject to random search, warning you that you'll need to stop if a police officer decides to pull you over and check out what is in your car. Now, that, indeed, could slow you down.

In addition, you will see more police patrols at airports all across the country, not only inside the airport but outside the airport, looking at the perimeters of airports. More canine patrols, bomb sniffing dogs, that is, and new temporary signs are going up to warn passengers to be aware of the threat. Look for suspicious people in the airport. Look for suspicious bags and report them. Now, if indeed there is war, airlines will allow you to make changes to your ticket. In fact, most airlines -- you have to check, though, individually, their policies all differ -- will allow you to make that change and waive that $100 fee. If you're nervous, they are going to give you a break this time.

British Airways has already stopped flying to Israel and Kuwait. Also, United Airlines says that if there is war, that it expects to drop about 10 to 12 percent of its flights. It says it just does not expect enough passengers will want to fly during that time -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Patty Davis, Reagan National Airport. Thanks very much.

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 March 18, 2003 - 14:25   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: You've heard the old saying, the best offense is a good defense? Perhaps with that in mind, the nation's threat level back at orange, or high, to discourage and thwart potential terrorist attacks. What does this mean if you're traveling, you might ask. Let's go to CNN's Patty Davis, Reagan National Airport. Patty, what are travelers to do, and, for that matter, not to do?
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, what that means is tighter security at airports across the country, and that could, potentially, slow you down.

Some things you may want to do is, first of all, just get here a little bit early. Now, Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge described some of those new security measures on top of the ones that are already in place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Begin the training for the pilots in the cockpits with firearms. Then you've got the hardened cockpit doors. You have training for the flight attendants. You have more federal air marshals. You come outside the airline -- the airplane itself, and you have technology, 100 percent inspection of baggage. You have new trained inspectors for passengers. You enhance airport security outside the perimeter. There will be additional random inspections of vehicles and potentially, depending on the airport, some limitations of -- ingress and egress into the airport.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAVIS: Airports are currently awaiting that security direction from the Transportation Security Administration on exactly what they'll be ordered to do. But chief among those, as Mr. Ridge said, random inspections of vehicles. A sign out there at Reagan National Airport today that you are subject to random search, warning you that you'll need to stop if a police officer decides to pull you over and check out what is in your car. Now, that, indeed, could slow you down.

In addition, you will see more police patrols at airports all across the country, not only inside the airport but outside the airport, looking at the perimeters of airports. More canine patrols, bomb sniffing dogs, that is, and new temporary signs are going up to warn passengers to be aware of the threat. Look for suspicious people in the airport. Look for suspicious bags and report them. Now, if indeed there is war, airlines will allow you to make changes to your ticket. In fact, most airlines -- you have to check, though, individually, their policies all differ -- will allow you to make that change and waive that $100 fee. If you're nervous, they are going to give you a break this time.

British Airways has already stopped flying to Israel and Kuwait. Also, United Airlines says that if there is war, that it expects to drop about 10 to 12 percent of its flights. It says it just does not expect enough passengers will want to fly during that time -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Patty Davis, Reagan National Airport. Thanks very much.

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