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Around the globe, airlines scramble to clear passenger backlog
AFP
FRANKFURT
Petroleumworld.com 08 11 06
Airlines around the world were struggling on Friday to recover from the chaos caused after the discovery of an alleged plot to blow up planes flying from Britain to the United States.
Passengers were facing delays and tighter checks as authorities imposed stricter security measures while trying to clear a backlog of thousands of air travellers who were stranded when flights were cancelled on Thursday.
New restrictions on hand luggage were causing flights heading to the United States to be delayed, with passengers forced to empty their carry-on bags and pack the contents into luggage they were checking in to the hold.
The new restrictions were introduced because the alleged plot involved carrying liquid explosives concealed in hand luggage on to flights from London Heathrow to at least three US cities.
European airports said that while flight schedules to Britain were slowly returning to normal, flights from Heathrow airport were still experiencing delays.
British Airways cancelled all its short-haul flights to Europe and the Libyan capital on Thursday after the plot was uncovered but said on its website it "expects to operate the vast majority of its flights on Friday".
Passengers at airports from Asia to Africa were also facing delays following the introduction of new guidelines which banned products such as shampoos and deodorants from being brought on to planes.
The US Department of Homeland Security posted notices at Hong Kong airport saying passengers could not carry "liquids or gels of any size at the screening checkpoint or in the cabin of the aircraft".
Travellers forced to re-pack their bags at Hong Kong said they understood the need for the increased security.
Michael Rollings, a 42-year-old businessman from Chicago, said: "They let me keep my Aspirin but I've just lost my deodorant and my toothpaste. It is a small price to pay for preventing terrorist acts.
"I'm happy to be travelling today. We can't let these punks affect our everyday lives."
US authorities said all US-bound planes from Britain were under a core-red threat warning, the highest alert issued by the US Department of Homeland Security since the system was created following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
European airlines said their services to London were getting back on track, although they faced a logistical nightmare as people who were unable to fly on Thursday clamoured for seats on flights.
A spokesman for Frankfurt airport in Germany, one of Europe's busiest, said "traffic has returned to normal".
German carrier Lufthansa, which was forced to cancel dozens of flights on Thursday, said it was advising passengers they had to comply with the stringent new regulations.
Medicines, for example, could only be taken on board if the name on the label matched that of the person carrying it.
In Madrid, the Iberia airline said it was switching its biggest aircraft, the Airbus 340-600, capable of carrying 400 passengers, on to flights between Spain and Britain in an attempt to clear the backlog.
Paris' main Charles de Gaulle airport said flights to the United States and Britain were experiencing some delays, but planes were taking off.
At another busy European hub, Amsterdam's Schiphol, authorities said delays and cancellations were still affecting flights early in the day.
"Things are only slowly getting back on track," a spokeswoman said.
AFP 11 0955 GMT 08 06
Copyright ©2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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