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.