Holiday air travel from JWA better

Marisa O’Neil and Jeff Benson

While winter storms Thursday made a transportation mess in the

Midwest, holiday air travel out of Orange County has remained

relatively smooth thanks to added security checkpoints for the

holidays, officials said.

Late December and early January run a close second to Thanksgiving

when it comes to the number of passengers at John Wayne Airport,

spokesman Justin McCusker said.

John Wayne Airport did have some delays and canceled flights,

McCusker said. And the lines for check-in and security were far from

the snail’s pace of the past, thanks in part to more security

checkpoints.

“We opened [the additional checkpoints] in June, knowing we’d

needed twice the capacity, especially during the holidays,” McCusker

said. “Prior to opening them, lines averaged 45 minutes and in some

cases upwards of an hour and a half. Now the wait’s around 10

minutes.”

It’s a good thing officials seemed ready.

Airport passenger traffic increased 8.9% in November, compared to

the same month last year, McCusker said.

Last year, half a million passengers went through the terminal

during the holidays, and officials expect more this year, he said.

The added checkpoints mean travelers need to get to the airport

only one and a half hours before their flights, not two and a half as

suggested last year, McCusker said.

Passengers, such as 34-year-old Newport Beach resident Harrison

Wright, who was flying to San Francisco on Thursday, appreciated the

shorter wait times.

“I think this airport’s a little better than others I’ve flown out

of in the past,” Wright said. “We’re lucky to have it .”

New passenger screening procedures also started on Thursday, said

Nico Melendez, spokesman for the Transportation Security

Administration.

Airport screeners will now perform a slightly less invasive

pat-down of passengers, unless metal detectors or a visual inspection

give them reason to conduct a more thorough search, he said.

Melendez advised holiday travelers bearing gifts to wrap them once

they get to where they’re going. Otherwise, security screeners may

have to open them.

Officials at John Wayne Airport offered these additional

suggestions for travelers:

* Only one carry-on bag and one personal item are permitted

through screening. All other bags or personal items must be checked

in as regular baggage.

* All carry-on items -- including cell phones, lap-tops, and film

-- will be x-rayed.

* Only ticketed passengers will be allowed beyond the security

checkpoints.

* Be prepared to show government-issue photo identification when

checking in for your flight.

* JEFF BENSON covers education and may be reached at (714)

966-4617 or by e-mail at [email protected].

* MARISA O’NEIL covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4618 or by e-mail at [email protected].