National Guard Helps Tighten Airport Security for Holidays

Bush, whose order aims to ensure safety during the upcoming holiday season, said the U.S. National Guard will increase its presence at commercial airports across the country. White House officials called for more guards in terminals and an overall increase in security activities.

National Guard personnel now stand guard at security checkpoints and patrol the terminals.

According to the American Automobile Association's annual travel survey, 4.6 million people will travel by air this Thanksgiving, down 27 percent from last year's 6.3 million passengers.

Fred Hartman, spokesman for N.C. Gov. Mike Easley, said he expects an increase in National Guard presence to occur before this weekend at North Carolina's 12 commercial airports.

Hartman said Bush's mandate for additional troops will expand the role of the National Guard to include curbside activity, baggage checks and car searches.

"There will be a 25 percent increase in the number of National Guardsmen, from 112 to 140," Hartman said. "They will be there for at least 60 days throughout the end of the holiday season."

Mirinda Kossoff, communications manager for Raleigh-Durham International Airport, said travel volumes have returned to normal levels after a decrease immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Kossoff also said RDU has recovered faster than most airports in the country because it serves the Research Triangle and a number of major universities. "We are seeing lots of passengers in the terminals," she said. "The load factor is up to 80 to 90 percent capacity, near full."

Kossoff said RDU has a full flight schedule for Thanksgiving week but added that she expects to see some cancellations since American Airlines Flight 587 crashed Monday in New York.

The AAA survey also stated that 87 percent of the 34.6 million people expected to travel 50 miles or more will travel by car, up from last season's 83 percent.

"It's logically far more dangerous to get in a car and drive, as shown by statistics with automobile fatalities, but people fear," Kossoff said.

White House officials hope to diminish the fears of travelers by increasing the role of the National Guard, a role criticized by the Air Transport Association as a mere show of force.

Kossoff said she thinks the National Guard presence continues to act as a deterrent and generally helps passengers feel safer.

"Most people like them," she said. "If we can use them the way we feel they will be most useful, then it will be a big help for us."

But the added forces will not come without a price tag, putting further strain on both the state and national budgets.

Hartman said, "It's our understanding that the federal government will continue to reimburse the state."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.