SPOKANE, Wash. – Long lines greeted travelers at Washington’s two busiest airports on Thursday after British authorities said they thwarted a terrorist plot to simultaneously blow up several aircraft heading to the U.S. using explosives smuggled in carryon baggage.
Passengers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Spokane International Airport faced long delays as security workers picked carefully through their luggage. Both airports, and all other passenger airports in the country, are at Orange Alert.
“Obviously at a bigger airport with bigger volumes, there are lines and longer wait times than you might normally see,” said Jennifer Peppin, regional spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. “We’re at full staffing.”
“I’m telling everyone to go to the TSA Web site to review the security regulations,” she said.
Some travelers at Sea-Tac said they missed their flights Thursday while stuck in long security lines.
Sea-Tac spokesman Bob Parker said passengers were being asked to remove all liquids drinks, creams, gels, including makeup and toothpaste and put them into checked baggage.
Passengers can buy drinks after passing security, although they have to drink them before getting on planes, Parker said. Medicines and baby formula are allowed in carryon bags.
Sea-Tac expected to handle about 95,000 passengers Thursday and about half of them, the departing passengers, had to be screened, Parker said.
At Spokane, passengers were told to bring “plenty of patience” as hundreds waited in long security lines Thursday morning.
Passengers at both airports were told to show up at least two hours before any domestic flights and at least three hours before any international flights.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
