14% Decrease in Air Service Since September 11, According to Aviation Daily/Eclat Analysis

Mid-Sized Airports Hit Hardest; JFK Falls Most Among Big Airports

An analysis of air service by Aviation Daily and Eclat Consulting reveals a 14% decrease in nationwide flights since September 11, with mid-sized airports being hit the hardest. While almost every airport has been hit hard, the analysis shows New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport has been affected the worst among the large airports, with a 32% drop in air service.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011219/192435_1.html

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Despite Improvements, Post-Sept. 11 Flying Is Still a Chore

Irony is supposedly passé after Sept. 11, so I had no reason to doubt the earnestness of the admonitions being displayed on a video screen at the security gate at Newark International Airport when I checked in for a flight to New Orleans early last week.

"No Knives," flashed the screen. "No Guns," the next message said. "No bombs," said the next one, which depicted the familiar red-outlined circle and diagonal slash across a bowling-ball-shaped bomb with a sparking fuse sticking out of it. The cartoon bomb looked like something the Road Runner might hand to Wile E. Coyote.

"Over here," a security guard ordered after the metal detector went off when I passed through. In airport language these days, that means "Stick 'em up."

Under the steely gaze of a rifle-toting National Guardsman wearing camouflage attire that stood out startlingly against the airport beige, I obediently reached for the skies. Even though I had placed on the conveyor belt every imaginable possession having metal components, including my sports jacket and watch, the penitentiary-quality frisking soon discovered contraband in my pocket.

"Aluminum foil on those Tic Tacs!" the guard announced triumphantly. "You're not getting through here with anything metal."

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/19/business/19TRAV.html

[This message has been edited by doc (edited 12-19-2001).]