Reports: Security lines no problem for Thanksgiving fliers Despite the threat of disruptions caused by "National Opt-Out Day" protests, lines at most airport security checkpoints appeared to be moving normally this morning
BigTravelNews.info - Nov 26,2010 - Despite the threat of disruptions caused by "National Opt-Out Day" protests, lines at most airport security checkpoints appeared to be moving normally this morning, according to various media reports and reader responses.
USA TODAY's Alan Levin reports that "fliers faced only the slightest problems as they headed to family gatherings for the Thanksgiving holiday. Some people who arrived at airport security lines just as they opened this morning at airports such as Newark and Denver encountered longer than usual wait times, the TSA reported. But those lines dissipated quickly and since then it has been smooth sailing across the country, the agency reported."
Levin adds that "there have been only a handful of passengers who have opted out of going through body scanners, which can peer through clothing to find weapons, the TSA said."
In Los Angeles, MSNBC says airport officials say only about 20 passengers "opted out as of about 1 p.m. ET. That number is in line with a normal travel day, according to airport officials.
THE EXCEPTION: Spirit's computers crash, slow Thanksgiving fliers
USA TODAY: Airports say security checks going smoothly prior to Wednesday
LIST: U.S. airports using full-body scanners
There was at least one (somewhat) interesting protest, however. That came at Salt Lake City International, where a Salt Lake City student insisted on going through security in a speedo to protest new screening rules.
He posted a video of his effort online.
Elsewhere, however, it has been mostly quiet.
At the world's busiest airport, "security lines were moving smoothly at 11 a.m. (ET)" at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, writes The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Journal-Constitution describes "no long lines and only three people protesting the recent tougher security measures."
BACKGROUND: Body scanner makers doubled lobbying cash over 5 years (USA TODAY)
Those protesters, according to the paper, are giving fliers pamphlets that read: "We have the right to say no. No radiation, strip searches, no groping of genitals. Say 'I'll opt out.' "
To the West, The Arizona Republic reports via Twitter that lines at Phoenix Sky Harbor International's Terminal B checkpoint are "beginning to fill up" as of 9 a.m. MT (11 a.m. ET). Still, the paper reports approximate wait times as only about 15 minutes and the paper makes no mention of any "opt-out" movement.
OTHER AIRPORTS: Travelers report short waits at MSP on Wednesday | No delays reported at Sky Harbor Airport Wednesday | Milwaukee airport reports no delays in travel
NBC reporter Tom Costello is on the scene at Washington's Reagan National Airport, saying on MSNBC earlier this morning that lines there "really are pretty manageable."
RELATED: Aggrieved Fliers Ask, 'What Now?' (The New York Times)
"So far, nationwide, we don't have any reports" of protest-related disruptions, Costello says, though he noted it's still early in the travel day.
POLL: Most fliers bothered or angered by TSA pat-downs
On the passenger front, Andy Gerlt -- an account director for Waggener Edstrom Worldwide heading to San Francisco on Delta -- e-mails Today in the Sky
