Just days after a Nigerian man attempted to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines plane, security checks at one of the country’s busiest airports are returning to normal, according to passengers at O’Hare airport.
The bomb-sniffing dogs that patrolled the American Airlines terminal this weekend were nowhere to be seen and passengers weren’t experiencing longer security wait times.
On its Web site, the Transportation Security Administration pointed out that there would be increased screening at gates, which includes pat-downs and bag searches, but it also stressed that security measures would be different at every airport.
"The only thing that was a little bit different is they're not always as secure about putting your liquids in a plastic bag, but they did check for that," said traveler Kelly Williamson.
People arriving from Hong Kong reported that all passengers were frisked before they were allowed to board the plane. They said the plane's departure was only slightly delayed.
Late Monday, the in-flight restrictions on personal entertainment and moving about a plane's cabin were eased.
"TSA is clearly not going to play its full hand here. It's going to keep us guessing a bit. I think it wants to keep terrorism guessing; not indicating exactly what they're procedures are going to do," said DePaul University transportation expert Joe Schwieterman.
