HIGHFILL — The chief administrator at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport said Monday that most travelers should not expect unusual delays when flying into or out of the airport.
The Department of Homeland Security raised the national terror alert level for airports to “high” after an apparent bombing attempt of Northwest Airlines flight 253 on Christmas Day. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian man, allegedly smuggled elements of a chemical bomb past airport security in Amsterdam, but was subdued by fellow passengers when he tried to combine the chemicals.
“Things are going smoothly,” Kelly Johnson, director of Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, said Monday. Johnson said that passengers should arrive about an hour before their scheduled departure time.
“Even if you are secondarily screened, that should allow you plenty of time to get through the process,” she said.
Secondary screening is a process in which individuals are randomly selected for additional inspection after passing the initial gate screening that all passengers undergo. Secondary screenings usually include thorough scrutiny of items in carry-on baggage and a physical pat-down process.
Johnson would not comment on the degree to which the frequency of secondary screenings had increased, but said that the Transportation Security Administration had emphasized making the security measures more random.
“The idea at this point is to make sure that there are no predictable security measures,” Johnson said.
Travelers interviewed at the airport Monday said they had not encountered any additional delays over the holiday weekend.
Ellen and Harry Hufft of Houston said they had initially gone through the security procedures Sunday, but were delayed a day due to mechanical problems.
“There was no change in the time it took to go through security,” Ellen Hufft said. “It was easy, there was no line. There was no hassle.”
Kristin Scott of Chicago, who was on a layover between Chicago and Dallas, said that she found the low-key response to the Dec. 25 incident somewhat alarming.
“I was surprised by how lax everything has been,” Scott said. “This is probably the least-searched I’ve ever been since I began flying.”