___  Among the Victims ___ ProfilesPaul Wesley AmbroseMark BinghamKris Romeo BishundatBernard BrownThomas E. Burnett Jr.William E. CaswellDavid CharleboisSarah M. ClarkJames Daniel DebeuneureRodney DickensCharles S. FalkenbergGerald P. FisherRichard GabrielIan J. GrayFrancis E. GroganMichelle HeidenbergerAngela HoutzBryan C. JackSteven D. JacobyAnn Campana JudgeNorma KhanKaren A. KincaidDong C. LeeTerence Michael LynchTimothy J. MaudeRenee A. MayLouis J. NackeChristopher C. NewtonBarbara K. OlsonJohn O'NeillLt. j.g. Darin H. PontellSonia Morales PuopoloLisa J. RainesTodd H. ReubenJohn SammartinoHilda E. TaylorLeonard TaylorSandra D. TeagueLt. Cmdr. Ronald VaukLeslie A. WhittingtonErnest M. WillcherJohn D. Yamnicky Sr.Vicki YanceyAmerican Airlines FlightsUnited Airlines Flight _____America Under Attack_____ • On Day of Prayer, Probe Goes On • Black Boxes Recovered in D.C. • Poll: America Approves of Bush • CIA's Covert War on bin Laden • Pakistan Agrees to Cooperate • JFK Detentions an 'Overreaction' • Complete Coverage: Including multimedia, Post opinions, transcripts and more _____Editorials, Opinion_____ Post Editorials • Security Aloft • New Rules • Adding Shame to Grief • U.S. Editorial Roundup • World Editorial Roundup Opinion Columns • Being Americans by E.J. Dionne • Moment of Truth by Jim Hoagland _____Multimedia_____ Video: National Prayer Service Video: Local Church Services Video: Searching For Hope Video: Humvees Mute D.C. Hum Video: Dulles Reopens Audio: Jordanian Ambassador Audio/Video Archive _____Graphics_____ Aviation Animated Flight Path Hijacked Routes Boeing 757-200 Plan Boeing 767-200 Plan Travel After the Gulf War Gathering Speed _____________________ Investigation Osama bin Laden Evidence Search Boston Search Key Points A Volatile Neighborhood _____________________ World Trade Center Map Birth to Rubble Plane Impact Anatomy of an Attack The Searchers' Tools _____________________ Pentagon Map Rescue Efforts Pentagon Attack Shoring Up Damage _____________________ _____Camera Works_____ • Photo Galleries _____Live Online_____ • List of Discussions What's Your Opinion? E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Version Subscribe to The Post

By Caroline E. Mayer and Keith L. Alexander
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, September 13, 2001; Page A13

Airline passengers are likely to face many more delays, longer check-in lines and, at least initially, considerable confusion and inconvenience as a result of new security measures at the nation's airports.

And the increasingly popular electronic tickets may become a thing of the past, as some airlines may require passengers to check in at the airport ticket counter and obtain a paper ticket before going through security to their gates.

Only passengers with tickets will be allowed to pass through security checkpoints and proceed to their gates. But as of yesterday afternoon, Federal Aviation Administration officials gave conflicting accounts of what will constitute proof of a "ticketed" passenger. One said that only a paper ticket would suffice -- not even a boarding pass from a ticket counter would be approved by security.

But another FAA official said it would be up to the airlines, which operate the security checkpoints, to decide whom to let through. Some, such as Northwest, said yesterday that they would allow passengers with electronic tickets to bypass ticket counters if they have no luggage to check and a receipt from an airline, travel agent or Web site.

Because the situation is so confusing, passengers are advised to check with their airlines before they travel.

Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said that when airports reopen, passengers will encounter many new security measures. Chief among them will be a thorough search of all planes before passengers board. FAA officials did not know how long each search would take. But airlines schedule flights on tight timetables, so searches are likely to cause delays and, possibly, cancellations.

Curbside check-in will be discontinued; all passengers with baggage to check must go to ticket counters. Similarly, there will be no more flight check-in at sites outside airports, such as at hotels and car-rental companies.

Passengers who do not have luggage to check may proceed to their gates.

There will be more random identification checks, and new regulations will bar all knives, including plastic ones, in carry-on luggage. Until yesterday, knives with blades shorter than four inches were permitted on flights. Also banned in carry-on luggage will be "all cutting instruments," including scissors, razor blades and box cutters. These items and knives can be sent in checked luggage.

On the plane, passengers may find limited distribution of knives in food service. Metal steak knives are banned, but plastic knives and butter knives will be allowed.

Many business travelers said they understand and even welcome the added regulations, but some expressed worry that over time airlines will use them as excuses for poor service and delayed flights.

"Clearly it's going to be a justifiable inconvenience," said Eugene Laney Jr., legislative and information services director for the National Business Travel Association.

This past summer, airlines had celebrated the fact that their overall delays had dropped compared with last year.

Laney said the FAA requirements "completely destroyed" some of the conveniences that the industry had implemented to speed up the boarding process.

"What might happen is we may end up returning to having more humans involved in the airline distribution process," he said, "and the more hands involved, the longer the process takes."