Long lines, confusion at US airports after alert

NEW YORK, Aug 11 (Reuters) Susan Quatrella was still near the back of the line after waiting two hours to check in for a flight to Colorado today as new security measures slowed air travel to a crawl.

A plot to bomb up to 10 flights between Britain and the United States may have been foiled, but it managed to cause huge disruptions to hundreds of thousands of people, at a cost in time and money likely to be significant.

''Everybody watched the news last night and repacked so we're not confused,'' said Quatrella, 30, from Harwinton, Connecticut, who had been told her flight from John F Kennedy Airport would be delayed because of security.

Henry Davis, a hedge fund manager who got up at 4:30 am to fly to Boston, said there was a lot more confusion at New York's LaGuardia Airport in the early hours.

''The Marine Air Terminal was a zoo,'' Davis said after arriving in Boston. ''People are struggling how to interpret these new regulations. They're wondering if even the drops of contact lens solution in their cases will apply.'' British police said the plan was to blow up planes with chemical bombs smuggled on board disguised as drinks, prompting authorities to ban all liquids and gels from hand baggage, including everything from bottled drinks to mascara.

''It was pretty interesting getting ready this morning,'' said Stasia Kelly, 50, a lawyer at LaGuardia returning home to Washington from a business trip. ''I didn't have my hair stuff, I didn't have anything, no creams or hairspray.'' ''I think people are adapting but I'm going to try not to travel for the next couple of weeks, because I don't want to deal with the extra hassle,'' Kelly said.

At Boston's Logan Airport, marketing consultant Jeff Clarkson, 60, said he travels every week.

''This will be a huge inconvenience. Our clients will not want to travel,'' Clarkson said. ''It will be a boom for teleconferencing and other business.

''I hate to check my bags, it uses up valuable time and now we're forced to.'' EARLY ARRIVALS US rules are not as strict as in Britain, where all hand baggage must be checked, but for those who would normally not check anything, the ban on liquids means a choice between carrying no toiletries or checking something.

At Atlanta's main airport, hundreds of people lined up early in the morning to go through security. Passengers said they had heeded warnings and showed up very early for flights.

''A lot of times it doesn't really strike Americans as reality because we are in our own little bubble over here. But it is a reminder that those people are still out there,'' said Byron Branch, 25, a medical student.

While less time-conuming security on trains may make rail travel more attractive, there was little difference in perceived risk given the bomb attacks on Madrid and London rail systems in recent years.

''I'd fly too,'' said Alan Cameron, 50, a nurse waiting for a train to Montreal from New York's Pennsylvania Station.

''The odds of being hit with a terrorist attack are minuscule. There's not a terrorist in the world who can stop me from traveling when I want to and where I want to,'' he said.

Reuters DKB RS2200