Minnesota air travelers adjusting to new restrictions

(AP) - Life was getting back to normal Friday morning at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, as travelers adjusted to new security rules.

"Today most people have packed with the new restrictions in mind," said Pat Hogan, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airport Commission.

For some passengers, the new rules will mean a second search of their carry-on luggage before they board their planes. The Transportation Security Administration was instituting security screening for all passengers at randomly selected gates, to make sure they're not carrying aboard any of the now-prohibited liquids, gels or lotions.

Those changes are all part of new regulations instituted Thursday as the airline industry and federal security agencies reacted to an alleged terrorist plot uncovered in London.

Today we feel is the safest day to travel. Look at the security.

Travelers at the airport Friday morning were up to speed on the new rules, and were arriving at the airport even earlier than the two hours before their flight that the TSA was advising.

Alan Jorgensen, a service representative for a product labeling company, arrived more than three hours before his flight home to California. He said he was unbothered by the inconvenience.

"That's the world we live in now," he said. "Unfortunately that's the way it is."

Steve Prock of Chippewa Falls, Wis., was leading his family on a vacation to Greece. A diabetic, Prock was a little worried about getting liquids during his flights, but had been assured that he could bring both his insulin and an insulin pump.

Prock, too, said the extra security outweighed whatever inconvenience the family experiences. He and his wife, Gail, said they originally wanted to visit Egypt but changed their travel plans recently because of security concerns.

"Today we feel is the safest day to travel," he said. "Look at the security."

MAC Police Chief Mark Rosenow said security will be more visible at the airport, with guards on bicycles and others working with dogs.

Indeed, a heavier-than-usual presence of guards was on hand in the area outside the check-in counters. They wore various uniforms, including some from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

The new restrictions resulted in closure of two airport shops in the Lindbergh Terminal's main shopping area - the Body Shop and Travel Beauty. Both are owned by HMS Host, a national airport concessionaire.

"Nine out of 10 things they sell, such as cologne and perfume, you can't take on the plane," Hogan said.

While beverages are still being sold in the terminal, Hogan said passengers will no longer be able to bring them aboard planes. He said dry food items can still be carried aboard.

Guy Taylor, a Chicago engineer who travels frequently, said he hopes the new restrictions don't last too long. He arrived three hours early for an international flight to Toronto.

"I think it's a little bit of overkill," Taylor said. "If they do it forever, the people who are doing this accomplish what they want to accomplish - they've disrupted our lives."

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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