Airports reopen under tight security; delays expected

Ken Ritter

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2001 | 8:55 a.m.

LAS VEGAS - Airports in Las Vegas and Reno reopened on Thursday, but officials were advising passengers to check with airlines before heading out and to pack patience along with their suitcases.

"The airport is technically open and people are arriving," spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. "However, we are not anticipating any passenger flights until late this afternoon."

Reno-Tahoe International Airport spokesman Adam Mayberry said no flights were expected to leave before noon.

Both Mayberry and Grey urged travelers to check with airlines because airports in other cities haven't reopened and flight delays are expected.

"People who are coming now are going to be doing a lot of waiting," Grey said.

She said security is at the highest level short of war.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that passengers diverted from their original destinations on Tuesday will have priority on the first flights Thursday.

The FAA on Tuesday ordered aircraft to land at the nearest airport after hijacked airliners crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania.

McCarran had 74 aircraft on the tarmac, although Grey did not know how many had been diverted.

McCarran averages 900 daily flights and about 110,000 passengers per day. It's the seventh busiest airport in the country and 11th busiest in the world.

Reno, which averages 83 flights a day, had 20 planes on the ground, including one diversion, Mayberry said.

Grey said passengers should carry multiple forms of identification, expect parking to be at a premium and expect checked-in and carry-on bags to be searched.

Only passengers with printed tickets will be allowed past security checkpoints.

Parking is limited at both airports because of new rules prohibiting unoccupied vehicles within 300 feet of terminals.

"If people don't have to bring a vehicle, that's all the better," Grey said.

The grounding comes at a poor time for the Elko Regional Airport, which had scheduled the grand opening of its terminal for next Wednesday. It has been postponed.