For now, still nothing coming in or going out Deliveries to Lihu’e Airport of bread, parcels and mail, fresh produce and other items via air were interrupted for a third straight night Wednesday in the aftermath of terrorist attacks on
For now, still nothing coming in or going out
Deliveries to Lihu’e Airport of bread, parcels and mail, fresh produce and other items via air were interrupted for a third straight night Wednesday in the aftermath of terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C.
All U.S. airports are closed until they pass new, more stringent Federal Aviation Administration security standards.
Also affected are tour helicopter flights, which will be for a third straight day if Lihu’e Airport doesn’t open today.
While it’s not known when an FAA decision could be made to allow normal air traffic to resume, both of the interisland passenger carriers – Aloha and Hawaiian airlines – are staffing up in anticipation of trying to move three days’ worth of passengers today.
But the FAA must individually certify each airport before they are allowed to open for business, said Tweet Coleman, FAA Pacific representative based in Honolulu.
In Hawai’i, the priority for certification is Honolulu International Airport first, then Kahului Airport on Maui, she said.
Air travel, once the airports reopen, will be an even more laborious process than before the attacks, as stricter security means greater check-in delays.
Aloha Airlines, which announced yesterday it would do no flying today, is advising passengers to arrive at airports 90 minutes before interisland flights and two and a half hours before transpacific flights.
Among the rules the FAA will insist be implemented before an airport is allowed to resume receiving passengers, according to Coleman, are the following:
– Curbside and off-airport check-ins won’t be allowed.
– Carriers will not accept electronic tickets.
– Only those with valid tickets and boarding passes will be allowed past the main security checkpoint.
– Passengers will not be allowed to carry knives of any kind. Previously, small pocket knives were allowed on board.
– Greater scrutiny will be given to vehicles parked curbside. Unattended vehicles will be promptly cited and towed.
– A thorough check of the airport and aircraft will be conducted before boarding begins.
– Other random security checks of passengers will be conducted after they pass the main checkpoint.
These are some of the procedures Coleman is at liberty to talk about. Other procedures will be implemented but not made public.
Airports and airlines “are scurrying to get into compliance with new security measures,” she said.
The latest information forwarded to the FAA indicates simply that the “ground-stop order” issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation early Tuesday morning Hawai’i Standard Time is still in effect “until further notice,” Coleman said Wednesday afternoon.
“This is a national disaster of great magnitude,” Coleman said of the hijackings of four commercial airliners for use in terrorist attacks, and the federal government wants to prevent further disasters and not reopen airports until safety is reasonably assured.
The Association of Flight Attendants AFL-CIO has established the Flight Attendant Disaster Relief Fund (1275 K St. NW, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20005) to help the families of flight attendants and crews who perished during the highjackings and crashes.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
