The September 11th attack
Maui airport shut down four hours as precaution
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i airports struggled to get back up to speed yesterday, as commercial flight delays remained constant throughout the day.
Associated Press
Maui's Kahului Airport was shut down for about four hours last night after security workers found an unattended bag in the main terminal.
Members of the Hawai'i National Guard were back at Honolulu International Airport yesterday, monitoring activity in the main terminal.
The bag was found about 5:45 p.m., said state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali. She said the bag was sent through an X-ray machine several times and security inspectors detected what they believed was an explosive device in the bag.
Passengers and employees were evacuated about 6:30 to the commuter terminal at the opposite end of the airport, Kali said. The airport reopened about 10 p.m., Kali said.
The bag was traced to a man who had just flown to Kaua'i, Kali said. He told police that the bag contained a radio, walkie-talkie and other items, but had no explosives, she said. That proved to be the case when officials inspected the contents.
The airport was reopened about 10 p.m., Kali said. Aloha, Hawaiian United and other airlines resumed departures and were expected to go until 1 a.m., she said.
Kali said the man, a Kaua'i resident, explained that he left the bag because "he was late for a flight and rushed off."
Asked if the airport would have been closed under such circumstances before Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the East Coast, Kali said, "It's hard to say. Bags are always screened. ... Obviously we're very concerned."
Describing yesterday's flight activity at airports statewide and nationwide "as on a snail's pace," Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Tweet Coleman advised people to stay home unless they absolutely had to fly this weekend.
"It's not back to normal, and it will probably take a week before we get back to normal," Coleman said.
Yesterday, airport departure and arrival screens flashed new times next to nearly every flight.
Kali said many of the delays were linked to planes from Asia and the Mainland not departing for Hawai'i on time.
"This is a systemwide, nationwide problem," Kali said. "We're really asking the public for their aloha and patience."
Hawaiian and Aloha Airlines resumed full interisland and Mainland flight schedules. Both were cleared to transport passenger and mail cargo on interisland and Mainland flights.
Kama'aina and visitors flying overseas continued to trickle in yesterday.
Tracey Wall and Tracey Neal of Sydney, Australia, said they went through three security checkpoints at Los Angeles International Airport before boarding a half-empty American Airlines flight to Honolulu.
"A lot of showing your ID and ticket, a lot of searches through your baggage," Neal said. "Security people were cordial, not threatening or anything. If that's what it takes to make us safe, that's fine with me."
The state estimated more than 40 Mainland and international flights landed at Honolulu. More than 55 flights took off.
As for international arrivals, Coleman said Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Air System have FAA security clearances and have sent flights to Honolulu. On Thursday, the FAA banned foreign airline carriers from arriving in the United States until they complied with new security regulations.
Canadian carriers were also permitted to resume service to the United States. Korean Air and China Airlines were to resume service to Honolulu today.
Staff writers Scott Ishikawa, Brandon Masuoka and Andy Yamaguchi contributed to this report.
