Air travellers face chaos in US crackdown

An aggressive new approach to security is threatening chaos in international flights to the US - with planes being refused permission to land or diverted for rescreening of passengers and cargo.

The US, which is on the second-highest security alert status after warnings of planned terrorist attacks, has already shown its determination to enforce new airline security rules.

These include ordering a Mexi-can passenger jet to turn around mid-flight and imposing landing restrictions on at least six other incoming flights in the past week.

The airline security crackdown was part of an unprecedented security operation in which sharpshooters, warplanes and thousands of police were mobilised to thwart any attack on celebrations from New York to Las Vegas.

Officials were so worried about possible attacks on at least five foreign flights that landed in the US - including in Washington and Los Angeles - that they took the aircraft to remote locations away from the main terminals and re-screened the passengers before allowing them to leave.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/01/1072908856759.html

flights cancelled to LA.

Suspected it was Bush trying to embarrass the French, who have yet to be proven wrong on WMDs.

still attempting to make a living in the travel and tourism industries.

Nothing like guaranteeing no one will fly to the US for major holidays in the coming years.

Thanks, BushCo for all you do for business.

from a week in the Bahamas. Airport security was no problem.

conserve fuel by destroying the airline industry. Another goal might be to once again make flying elitist and only for the rich. I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with "terrorists".

a whole lot more for those tickets!

Disrupting normal business (chaoticization) is the first step toward reaping "panic" profits for any business.

Like when you're say, some large Western state worried about running out of electricity sometime - you might agree to billions more than otherwise!

edit to add: note that US airlines can fly you more dependably and comfortably under this system!