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US Passengers Face Additional Airport Security Measures


10 August 2006
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The terrorist plot to blow up aircraft flying between Britain and the United States is having repercussions in many airports around the world.  Investigators have indicated the plot centered on a plan to use liquid explosives, and many airports are now prohibiting passengers from carrying any liquids on board with them.  VOA's David Byrd went out Washington's Dulles International Airport to speak with passengers and has this report.

New signs taped on prohibited items list as passengers line up to go through security checkpoint at Dulles International Airport outside Washington DC, Aug. 10, 2006
New signs taped on prohibited items list as passengers line up to go through security checkpoint at Dulles International Airport outside Washington DC, Aug. 10, 2006
The security line stretched the length of Dulles airport and check-in lines were crowded as well.  Police with bomb-sniffing dogs were patrolling the airport and Transportation Security Administration officials asked passengers to put all liquids, including their morning coffee or any other drinks, in large plastic bins.

Keith West and Marylin Brophy were on their way home to Wyoming from Johannesburg, South Africa, and were surprised by the restrictions.

"If it's for security, I'll do it, but most of it is just standing in lines," West said.

"No, it doesn't bother me at all, if it has to be done, it has to be done, but it's an inconvenience," said Brophy. "If you want to fly you have to obey the rules."

As Transportation Security Administration workers asked passengers to empty their carry-on luggage of all liquids, Mandy Reshalwurtz, a student just back from Harvard University's World Teach program in Namibia, said that she had heard the new rules, and did not mind the long wait as long as it kept her safe.

"It's longer than normal, I think," she said.  "And we're still not even there yet, so we have quite a ways to go.  It's an inconvenience, but if it is going to make things safer for us then it is worth doing.  It just takes a minute to put it in your checked baggage."

At the head of the line, Bryan Stewart of Reston, Virginia, said he could accept the new restrictions if it meant a safe flight.

"Well, if it keeps us safe, I'm all for it you know," he said.  "It's a little bit of a cost, but I'd rather be alive and have every one else be alive and get where I am going safely."

The line continued to snake through the terminal throughout the morning, but crowds were orderly, and officials were making every effort to accommodate travelers. Because of the delays caused by the increased security precautions, Washington Metro Airports Authority officials are advising passengers to get to the airport even earlier.

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