Delta Air Lines started to reinforce cockpit doors Wednesday, the same day it reported its planes were less than half full in the weeks following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

        Things are closer to normal in America's skies and airports than they were just after the attacks. There are few lines being reported at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport despite tighter security, for example. Washington's Reagan National Airport reopens officially today, albeit on a limited basis.

TRISTATE CUTBACKS

Other major Tristate layoffs made or announced in 2001:     • Delta Air Lines, Hebron, September: Up to 825 jobs will be cut by Oct. 31 (depending on how many workers take voluntary leave or retire early).     • Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, March: 1,900 Greater Cincinnati jobs as part of a global downsizing that will eliminate 9,600 jobs within several years.     • Comair, Erlanger, May-June: 2,400 jobs, including 2,000 local positions. Most but not all have been rehired since the airline restarted after an 89-day pilot strike.     • Mercy Health Partners, Hamilton, April: 414 jobs. Mercy closed its hospital in the Butler County seat.     • Ford Motor Co., Sharonville, January and September: The transmission plant has cut its payroll by 503 this year — by 203 jobs in the winter and 300 last month.

        Still, Delta's half-empty planes show that the air system is still suffering during the national debate on how far to go to make flying safe.

        U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta was scheduled to release the findings of two safety task forces Wednesday, but postponed the announcement. But the Washington Post reported that the recommendations include:

        • Limiting carry-ons to one bag and perhaps a purse.

        • Modifying airplane transponders so they can't be turned off.

        • Creating a “National Travel Card” that will allow someone willing to undergo a background check to pass through airports without having their baggage inspected.

        Pat Friend, president of the Association of Flight Attendants which represents 50,000 flight attendants at 26 airlines, is a member of one of the task forces. She said the first draft of the proposed security changes were “a whitewash and a sham.”

        She also said that if harsher measures weren't considered, such as restricting the size and number of carry-ons, she would ask her members to pressure federal transportation officials and Congress. Ms. Friend stopped short of calling for a walkout, but said some in her membership may refuse to fly if security isn't beefed up.

        Meanwhile, an airport security bill was blocked from reaching the floor of the U.S. Senate Wednesday, as a partisan battle appears to be brewing over whether to federalize airport security screeners.

        The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Mr. Mineta had offered Senate leaders a compromise bill that would keep the current private system in place for at least 18 months, but allow for federalization of screeners on a case-by-case basis. Airlines currently hire outside private firms for the task, and last week's proposal by President Bush would have kept that system in place with closer federal oversight.

        As the safety debate rages in Washington, passengers here and across the country still are seeing measures that weren't in place before the attacks.

        Curbside check-in hasn't resumed at the Cincinnati airport, even though federal officials last week allowed airlines to restart it. Delta won't say when the service might be reintroduced locally.

        But Delta did say Wednesday that it had begun reinforcing cockpit doors on all of its 600 planes with steel bars to keep would-be assailants from taking control. The process is to be complete within 30 days.

        “I actually looked at them today, and from what I saw, they will be very effective,” said Steve Aue, a locally based Delta MD-88 captain from West Harrison, Ind.

        And while travelers using the local airport have for the most part been able to avoid inconveniences such as long lines at security checkpoints, canceled flights and fewer route choices have become the norm elsewhere around the country.

        “When I left Cincinnati, I had no problems, and even had to wait at the gate for more than an hour because I had gotten there early like they told me,” said Norwood resident Jennifer Thomas, 55, who flew to Boston for a Cape Cod vacation last weekend. “But coming back through Boston, it was horrible. I got there three hours ahead of time, and still only barely made my plane.”

        Local airline and airport officials still stress that passengers should get to the airport at least two hours before departure.

        On Monday, many passengers didn't. The result was a backup of about 200 people at Delta's Terminal 3 between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m., although those delays appear to have been an exception.

        Delta ticket agents, gate agents and even ramp workers are helping augment local security screeners during peak times in the morning and late afternoon.

        “We're trying to help out as much as we can,” said Delta spokeswoman Cindi Kurczewski, who would not comment on whether the workers had received security training or background checks, citing security concerns.

        “It is still unrealistic for customers to come out to the airport 30 minutes before a flight,” Ms. Kurczewski said. “Before Sept. 11, we were focused on how to make the airline and the airport environment as convenient as possible. And while safety has always been our No. 1 priority, safety and security issues are our focal point in a way never before seen.”

        Delta was planning to resume limited flights to Washington's Reagan National Airport today along with other airlines. The airport, the nation's only major facility left to reopen, had remained closed because of its proximity to key buildings in Washington. Passengers there face stricter security measures such as a limit on carry-on luggage, the presence of an armed sky marshal on every flight and a limited flight schedule.

        There are other changes that appear to be permanent, such as continued scrutiny of items brought on board and pilots confining themselves to the cockpit once the plane leaves the gate.
       

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