Many airports across the nation, including the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, reopened yesterday following an OK from the federal government.
All flights had been grounded since Tuesday morning after two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center and another crashed into the Pentagon.
Effective at 11 a.m., the order stipulated that U.S. airports comply with a checklist of security measures adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration before resuming normal operations.
By approximately 1:30 p.m., the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport had opened its airspace, limiting flights to commercial air carriers, charter planes and medical, military and law enforcement flights, said airport spokeswoman Barbara Hutchinson.
The checklist of security guidelines included measures such as not allowing anyone without a boarding pass past security checkpoints, having visible law enforcement personnel and keeping all vehicles at specified distance from terminal areas.
Also, airline passenger flights are no longer allowed to carry mail or cargo.
The measures definitely will create a "log jam" for passengers at security screening checkpoints, Hutchinson said, who advised passengers to arrive an hour and a half to two hours before departure time.
Hutchinson said the stricter measures will be in place indefinitely.
However, "I do think we will see permanent changes in terms of procedures," Hutchinson said.
FAA spokesman Hank Price said if "airports are able to meet those standards, they will be allowed to reopen."
As far as additional security measures are concerned, "Increasing the size of the air marshal program is under consideration," but would take time because of the legislative action required, Price said.
Officials said they remain confident about the security measures in place at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport.
"Our security screening devices are already tougher than those of large airports across the country," Hutchinson said. "Gulf War screening procedures were already in place ... security measures are always at a high level."
Although airspace was reopened, flights out of the nearly empty Charlottesville -Albemarle Airport had yet to resume yesterday afternoon as airlines continued to redirect flights.
A few travelers were returning or renting cars while several others were attempting to find a way to fly to their destination.
"Our problems are small compared to others," said Susan Muckle, who was arranging a flight change at the United Express ticket counter. Muckle, along with her husband Mike, was scheduled to depart on Wednesday from Charlottes-ville for their daughter's Saturday wedding in Bellingham, Wash.
The couple was advised to forego a connecting flight and to catch a direct flight tomorrow morning from Dulles International Airport.
"The airlines have been great," Susan Muckle said.
Betty Wright and Sharon Gilbert of Verona, Va., also were among the few people trying to negotiate a flight at the deserted airport yesterday afternoon.
The two friends originally planned to leave from Richmond International Airport yesterday for a spa retreat in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Since the Richmond airport had not reopened, they decided to try to fly out of Charlottesville instead, as they tried to find a way down to Florida.
"Did you know it costs $462 for a roundtrip ticket [to Florida]?" asked Wright, who dismissed the 20-hour train ride as an option.
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