Flights delayed amid increased security at US airports

Washington, Aug 11: Increased security measures put in after the foiled bomb attack in the UK yesterday has resulted in flight delays around most parts of the world.

At all the airports in the Washington area and across US, flights were delayed for hours as officials implemented hastily devised new restrictions designed to ward off terror attacks after the terrorist bid to blow up an aircraft.

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.

Shortly after British authorities announced the arrests of 21 people who allegedly were plotting to blow up jets flying from the United Kingdom to the United States, security officials here tightened searches of carry-on luggage and banned cosmetic lotions, beverages and other non-essential liquids from being brought on board.

Authorities say the plot involved mixing different kinds of seemingly harmless liquids into an explosive brew on transcontinental flights. Hence the carrying of all kinds of liquids has been banned. ''No liquids or gels. Shaving cream, shampoo, contact lens solution -- all of it has to be checked in'' passengers were repeatedly told.

US authorities raised the threat level to red'' for flights from Britain, the first time the highest threat of terrorist attack had been invoked since the terror alert system was created. All other flights were under an orange'' alert -- one step below red.

Some travelers wondered if security hasn't gone overboard.

The terror plot is causing delays on both sides of the Atlantic.

Flights coming into San Francisco from the United Kingdom are delayed up to three hours.

At Washington Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia, airport employees handed time-stamped cards to passengers standing in long lines as to how long they'd have to wait. At Reagan Washington National Airport, in Washington DC passengers who had not yet heard the news from London shouted their frustration with the new restrictions, and watched helplessly as their scheduled departure times slipped by.

A man was pulled out of a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport early this morning because he was carrying Tiger Balm, an herbal pain relief ointment, in his backpack. He was allowed to proceed after he threw it out. Most planes out of Los Angeles were delayed by 15 to 20 minutes, as airlines waited for passengers to make it through.

At Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where the long lines of waiting passengers filled the airport lounge completely, police patrolled the perimeter of the surging crowd, carrying plastic handcuffs and automatic weapons.

Security officials in the United States said flights to Washington, New York and California operated by United, American and Continental airlines were among those targeted by the alleged terrorist group.

At airports across the United States, employees from the Transportation Security Administration distributed fliers outlining the new restrictions, and hauled out bins so passengers could dump toiletries, coffee, bottled water and other banned items.

Some passengers at Dulles gave away perfumes and other expensive cosmetics to strangers who were dropping their loved ones at the terminal. At banks of pay phones, atop of the phone books, stacks of abandoned tubes of toothpaste, jars of hand cream and bottles of eye drops piled up.

The situation was mirrored around the country. Guards armed with rifles stood watch in several airports, and the governors of California, New York and Massachusetts said they were sending National Guard troops to bolster security. At the Burlington International Airport in Vermont, travelers weren't happy to be leaving behind souvenir maple syrup jugs, the Associated Press reported. In New Orleans, half-used bottles of hot sauce lay in garbage bins. Bottles of wine sat in the trash in San Francisco, south of California's wine country.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is implementing a series of security measures, some visible and some not visible, to ensure the security of the traveling public and the nation's transportation system.

UNI