Document text
Odd stillness pervades Medford airport Some flights could go late today or Friday By DANI DODGE An eerie silence hung like a fog over the Medford airport Wednesday. No commercial flights went in or out and the only people padding the halls were security guards and the rare traveler looking for a rental car or a refund. "It's a ghost town," said Kim Stearns, the airport's public information officer, as she stared at security monitors trained on the terminal. Where to call People waiting for flights should call their airlines for the most up-to-date information. The number for United and United Express is 800-241-6522. The number for Horizon Air is 800-547-9308. Because of increased security measures required by the Federal Aviation Administration, when flights are resumed airline passengers are encouraged to arrive for their flights at least 11/2 to 2 hours before departure. After terrorists used commercial airlines as weapons Tuesday against the United States, commercial planes were grounded on Wednesday and airport officials scrambled to enforce new security measures. Commercial airlines could begin flying late today or Friday. Inside the airport, retired volunteers manned the information booth, telling people that no planes were going in or out and they didn't know when they would. Bomb-sniffing dogs stuck wet noses into the nooks and crannies of the building. Flight attendants wandered in, wondering when they will work again. In the airport's main parking lot, three tow truck drivers worked furiously to move the 53 cars and trucks closest to the terminal as a safety precaution. Tow truck divers assumed the cars belonged to people stranded around the country. "We've got to get them out from within 200 feet of the terminal," said Don Ault, a driver for Maynard Hadley's Towing. "This is quite unusual." Airport Director Bern Case confirmed that moving the cars was one of many new safety measures the Medford airport will take before flights resume. "People are asking when will we get back to normal, but when we get back to what it is, it will be a new normal," Case said. "I've got six pages of things like moving the cars, but we don't give out details on the measures." According to airport directors around the country, some of the new Federal Aviation Administration requirements include banning the sale or use of knives at the airport, sweeping all terminals with K-9 teams, increasing security personnel, increasing ID checks and discontinuing curbside check-in. The FAA is even keeping small airports like Ashland closed for now. Bob Skinner, who owns and operates Skinner Aviation and manages the Ashland airport, said he understands the precautions. "The small aviation aircraft are the easiest for terrorists to hijack," Skinner said. "Realistically general aviation is what they thought would be their biggest threat and there's still a lot of potential out there." Both commercial airports like Medford and general aviation airports like Ashland could start flying as soon as today. But it's likely that the first flights from Medford won't carry passengers, but instead will ferry empty planes to the proper locations. The only flights going out Wednesday were emergency medical and firefighting planes. Case said the lack of commercial flights may put an end to the Medford airport's seven straight years of increasing business. But he expects business to "gradually tool back up." "This is tragic and terrible," he said, "but with the measures being taken we will be safe again." Stearns, the airport's public information officer, said patience is what people will need most when they return to the skies. "Patience needs to be a major factor," she said. "None of us know what it will be like when it starts up again in terms of logistics." Judy Palmer, a 62-year-old Central Point resident wandered into the airport Wednesday afternoon after being unable to get through on the phone to her airline. She had been scheduled to fly to San Francisco on Tuesday to see her grandkids, but by Wednesday still didn't know what to do with her non-refundable ticket. She didn't learn anything. The lights were off at the United Airlines ticket counter. And she went home as frustrated as she had come. But she wasn't upset to be grounded. "I don't want to be part of the chaos," she said. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.