Story Of The Year:

John Wayne Airport has seen its annual security costs jump from about $4 million to $16 million since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to airport officials.

The attacks marked the beginning of a new era of increased security at the airport. It was shut down for two days by the Federal Aviation Administration, which ordered all civil and commercial flights halted after the hijacked planes flew into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

JWA saw its security costs triple the first year after 9/11, from about $4 million annually to $12 million.

In 2003, JWA’s security costs peaked at $36 million. The increase came from adding eight passenger screening lanes and a new, in-line baggage screening system. The airport also added three bomb-sniffing dogs to its security team.

The airport now spends about $16 million on security each year.

“Prior to 9/11, airports were open to the general public to watch planes take off and arrive, and even go into the waiting areas,” said Jenny Wedge, a JWA spokeswoman.

Only ticketed passengers are allowed past security checkpoints.

JWA officials used to advise air travelers to arrive 30 to 45 minutes before their flight’s scheduled departure, but now passengers are encouraged to get to the airport 90 minutes to two hours ahead of time.

The Transportation Security Authority, the federal agency that oversees security at JWA, has tightened its security screening process since 2006, asking passengers to remove their shoes while passing through security checkpoints, and permitting passengers to carry only small amounts of liquids in their carry-on bags.

Those restrictions could continue for a long time, said Dwayne Baird, a TSA spokesman.

“It will depend on a variety of things,” Baird said. “We’re not going to speculate as to when those restrictions could be relaxed — a lot of what we do depends on what new technology is developed.”