By Kelly Rayburn
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The Federal Aviation Administration will allow diverted planes
to return to their original destination today, but all other
flights will likely remain on the ground tonight.
All commercial air traffic was halted for the first time in U.S.
history Tuesday after hijacked planes rammed into the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon, killing all on board and leaving a death
toll of thousands.
The FAA is already planning to implement security changes.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of
Transportation, precautions will include:
“¢bull; Curb-side check-ins at airports will be
discontinued.
“¢bull; Off-airport check-in, or checking in from a hotel or
other venue, will no longer be allowed.
“¢bull; Only ticketed passengers will be allowed beyond airport
screeners. Boarding areas will be reserved for passengers only.
“¢bull; Parked cars near airports will be monitored more
closely.
Additionally, the FAA has said knives, including pocket knives
and plastic knives, will not be allowed on flights in the United
States.
The planes were reportedly hijacked using knives and
box-cutters.
“I know all Americans want us to move as quickly and
prudently as possible to return our transportation system to
normal, and we will as soon as we can do so safely,” U.S.
secretary of transportation Norman Mineta said in the
statement.
United Airlines will ferry flights to their original
destinations today, with no passengers on board.
All United flights diverted Tuesday will resume Thursday
morning, and by noon, the airline will offer limited scheduled
operations.
All flights for Delta Airlines were cancelled through 6 p.m. EST
today, though it does not apply to Delta Connection operations
through Atlantic Coast Airlines, Comair or Sky West.
Specifics on those carriers will be announced tonight.
International flights that were diverted outside the United
States will return at the earliest date possible, though those
times remain undetermined.
American Airlines, American Eagle and TWA flights are cancelled
through noon Thursday.
Despite Tuesday’s terrorist attacks, Eyal Tofan, 25, who
is from Israel and travelling in the U.S., said he wished his
Tuesday morning flight from L.A. to Miami was not cancelled.
Tofan, who is travelling with his friend Amir Korach, does not
think flying today, Thursday or next week will be any safer than
flying on the scheduled date.
“In one day they can’t change all that
security,” Tofan said, while sitting on a curb outside an LAX
baggage claim, waiting for a friend to pick him up.
Two of the planes hijacked were United Airlines planes. The
other two were American Airlines planes.
In July, the FAA said it would seek $99,000 in fines from
American Airlines for security breaches involving six flights in
June of 2000. The breaches included airplanes carrying
unaccompanied bags on flights and airline employees failing to
perform passenger identification checks.
Richard Garcia, an FBI agent with the Los Angeles office, said
Tuesday that the FBI did not know what sort of breach in security
led to the hijackings. Once the FBI knows how security broke down,
it can better advise people on how to improve security in the
future, he said.
Garcia also said serious changes in airport security may be
difficult to implement because policies cannot conflict with a
person’s civil rights.
“We are not a police state,” he said.
With reports from Arj Arjunan and Scott Schultz, Daily Bruin
senior staff, and Daily Bruin wire reports.