Tuesday, January 07, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

McCarran passes post-holiday test

Upgraded baggage-screening measures don't lead to travel delays at LV airport

Transportation Security Administration worker David Alvarez watches Monday as suitcases are screened for explosives at McCarran International Airport. Photo by Christine H. Wetzel.

Increased searches for explosives resulted in minimal delays for weekend passengers at McCarran International Airport, airport sources said.

The weekend after New Year's was the Las Vegas airport's first heavy-traffic period since new federal regulations requiring all checked passenger baggage be screened for explosive content took effect at midnight Dec. 31.

Despite a high volume of material passing between outgoing travelers, Transportation Security Administration screeners and various air carriers, airport operations proceeded smoothly over the weekend, said Debbie Millett, spokeswoman for the Clark County Department of Aviation, which operates McCarran.

"There were some good crowds, however, no long lines," Millett said of the post New Year's weekend at McCarran. "Everything moved very smoothly. No security issues held up anyone's travel plans."

Some airport officials previously worried that the more-stringent federal screening requirements would initially delay activities at McCarran and other airports around the nation.

Last week, McCarran Federal Security Director Jim Blair suggested last weekend would provide the first true test of his approximately 1,000-member staff's ability to search each piece of baggage checked at McCarran.

Those worries proved to be unnecessary, though, as travelers like Eric Koller and Brad Turner shrugged off the minimal delays they experienced at the airport Sunday.

Koller said it took 10 minutes to get on standby and have his luggage screened for a noon flight from Las Vegas to San Diego, where he works.

"I'll be honest, I think it's running smooth," Koller said. "I expected a little bit of delay but obviously this has worked out great."

Turner, who was flying home to Dallas from Las Vegas, said the slightly longer wait was worth it.

"Whatever it takes to keep it safe," Turner said. "Everybody's been real nice. The lines are OK."

Millett declined to estimate how many passengers and bags came through the airport over the weekend, although she said Sundays are usually busy, particularly those immediately following a holiday.

McCarran typically averages about 55,000 departing passengers on Sundays. It also averages about 63,000 checked bags per day, but that number can increase to as much as 72,000 when passenger counts are high.

In response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress in fall 2001 required all 429 U.S. passenger airports to implement explosive searches for 100 percent of checked passenger baggage before the start of 2003.

McCarran accomplished such searches using a combination of nearly a dozen truck-sized explosive detection system machines, approximately 40 smaller explosive trace detection devices, bomb-sniffing dogs and hand searches conducted by Transportation Security Administration employees.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.