Airport crowd dealing with holiday crush
Noaki Schwartz
JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT -- Residents flying out for the holidays should depend
on that traditional Christmas cheer to carry them through the long lines
expected at the airport.
“It’s a typical holiday season for us,” said Nghia Nguyen, spokeswoman
for John Wayne Airport, adding that it is expecting between 19,000 to
25,000 passengers daily for the next week and a half.
And that means packed corridors, long lines and travelers impatient to
get going on their holiday.
Weary but still cheery, gift shop staff were not entirely looking forward
to the increase in passengers.
“There are a lot more people than a usual [week],” said salesman Angel
Resendiz, who was scheduled to work a shift by herself. “It’s usually
half this number.”
To entertain potential Scrooges, the airport is providing an impressive
lineup of musicians for listening pleasure. During delays or long lines,
they will feature holiday performances with carolers, harpists, a
pianist, a barbershop quartet and country-western singers.
In addition, the airport has been decorated with festive baubles, and
check-in staff are wearing Santa Claus hats.
Despite being the last Christmas of the millennium, Nguyen said the
airport hasn’t prepared for any more travelers than any other yuletide
season.
“We don’t have more people on staff, not any more than a normal holiday,”
she said.
The airport has not increased security beyond normal holiday levels,
despite recent terrorist threats on international flights, Nguyen said.
John Wayne has a number of passengers, who after arriving at larger
domestic airports like San Francisco, take connecting flights to
international destinations.
However, employees at the ticket and boarding desks were cagey when asked
if there were any security changes related to the threats. They’d been
instructed not to discuss it because releasing the information would
defeat the purpose.
“The heightened security is more because of the increased volume and less
the security threat,” said supervisor Elizabeth Wells.
She did say airport security was on the lookout for wrapped gifts, which
could potentially hide illegal items. Airport staff recommends that
passengers leave their gifts unwrapped, so they can see what’s inside.
Still, most passengers seemed unaffected by potential security concerns.
They simply wanted to get to their destinations.
“I’m not worried,” said passenger Janet Hoppe, whose main concern was
that she wouldn’t have to wait too long before her daughter picked her
up.
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