Expect auto search if airport-bound

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

Drivers approaching Hawai'i airports will face an added layer of random, roving vehicle inspections and should allow an extra 30 to 60 minutes to get to their planes, state and federal officials said yesterday.

The new inspections, started in Honolulu and expected to begin at all airports statewide by the end of the month, are in addition to the searches conducted of vehicles entering airport parking lots and garages, the officials said.

"All vehicles entering an airport are subject to random checks, including employees, trucks, taxis and passenger vehicles," Transportation Director Rod Haraga said yesterday.

The federal government ordered the new inspections for explosives earlier this month when the national threat advisory level was raised to "orange" (the second-highest level), Haraga said. They are designed to address security concerns about vehicles that approach airport terminals but do not use parking areas.

Private security guards paid by the state have begun setting up the random checkpoints on the perimeter of airport property, he said. The guards will be looking only for explosives and most searches will take just a few moments, Haraga said.

Occasionally, however, the searches may cause a longer backup. Because the inspections will be conducted at different times and locations, travelers will not know in advance when they will encounter one and face an extra delay, said Sidney Hayakawa, federal security chief at Honolulu International Airport.

Officials did not know how much the new inspections will cost, but Haraga said the state has spent $7 million to institute new security measures at Hawai'i airports.