Regaining normalcy

Bryce Alderton

The skies cleared, planes took off and landed, and travelers returned

to Orange County on Sunday as operations seemed to be back to normal at

John Wayne Airport.

On Saturday, officials shut down the airport twice -- once at 9 a.m.

when an arriving Delta jet’s tire blew out during landing and again at

noon when a woman ran past security officers to enter the terminal.

“Operations are running smoothly today,” said airport spokeswoman Ann

McCarley.

The woman had not been identified as of Sunday, McCarley said.

Security measures were not increased following Saturday’s events since

the airport has constantly been on alert since mid-September, she said.

“We’re always on heightened security. We’re still on heightened alert

making sure everything is safe and secure for our passengers.

Statistics on the number of air travelers passing through the airport

during the holiday weekend won’t be available for a couple of weeks,

McCarley said.

But she pointed out that 28,035 air travelers passed through the

terminal on the Sunday following Thanksgiving last year.

“After talking with the [air] carriers, we’re expecting somewhere

close to that number,” McCarley said. “We’re expecting crowds because of

the holiday weekend; [Saturday] was very busy.”

Among the expected crowds Sunday was Newport Beach resident Nicole

Wagner, accompanied by son Robert, 7, and mother Marguerite Drew.

The three returned from spending Thanksgiving with family in Baton

Rouge, La. Wagner noticed the increased airport security.

“The flight was OK, but the security was heightened with the armed

guards,” Wagner said. “It’s unnerving with someone there that has so much

power.”

Two national guardsmen were seen patrolling the passenger-loading area

on the lower level of the airport Sunday.

A white Dodge Caravan pulled up alongside the curb to pick up the

Hoffman family, which was returning home to Orange after visiting family

in Dallas.

“[The flight] went very smoothly; it was a pleasant surprise,” said

husband and father Gary Hoffman.

Martha Pantin, spokeswoman for American Airlines, said the amount of

passengers filling each plane has been comparable to last year, despite

the 20% reduction of flights nationwide since Sept. 11.

A sluggish economy and the terrorist attacks have decreased bookings

for Southwest Airlines, said spokeswoman Brandi King.

Bookings for the holiday weekend for Southwest won’t be available

until about mid-December.

“This was a good holiday period for us,” King said. “The bookings were

good, but weaker than last year just because we were doing so well

economically last year. But it’s encouraging in reflection of the economy

and the recent incidents.”

* Bryce Alderton is the news assistant. He may be reached at (949)

574-4298 or by e-mail at o7 bryce.alderton@latimes.comf7 .