Monday, March 22, 2010

Air Travelers To Face Tighter Security

Body scanner, swabbing, pat down await fliers at more U.S. airports. Lines expected to grow

ATLANTA: For those who haven't flown in a while, be prepared to be scanned, swabbed or thoroughly patted down. Maybe all three.

Many spring break travelers are about to have their first encounter with airport security stepped up after Christmas, when a man was accused of trying to blow up a U.S. jetliner with explosives hidden in his underwear.

As the extra measures are rolled out and travel demand picks up, security lines are expected to grow. Airlines, meanwhile, worry the government will require them to pay to maintain the beefed-up security checkpoints.

The Obama administration is committing tens of millions of dollars to deploy more state-of-the-art screening equipment, and it is tightening enforcement of some older security measures...