The security lines at San Diego's Lindbergh Field are back to normal now, but officials say to expect excessive delays again tomorrow morning. KPBS Radio's Andrew Phelps spoke to airport travelers who faced long waits.
Airport Official: "All liquids or gels are not permitted through the screening checkpoint to include beverages, water bottles, perfumes, colognes, shampoos, creams, toothpaste, hair gel, suntan lotion, or any other item of similar consistency. Only baby formula or milk will be allowed."
Officials at Lindbergh Field are telling passengers what they can't bring on the plane. Rob Cohen and Cindy James considered what they'd have to dump before reaching the security checkpoint.
Cohen: "I have toothpaste, I have shaving cream."
James: "ChapStick, my favorite."
Cohen: "They're not letting ChapStick on?"
James: "No. I guess not."
They're among thousands waiting in colossal lines at San Diego International. At Terminal 2, the security line spilled out the sky bridge down the escalators to the end of the terminal and back again. Ryan-Marie Briggs and her husband Mac gazed at the line with their mouths wide open.
Briggs: "Man. It's gonna take us two or three days to get there!"
The couple was trying to catch a flight to Boston. Like many passengers, they didn't plan for delays because they didn't expect anything unusual.
Airport spokesman Steve Shultz says wait times have never been this bad at Lindbergh Field. But he says passengers are handling it well.
Shultz: "I just took a walk by several of the lines in front of Southwest here. Everybody seems very calm, very collected."
Most travelers interviewed seemed unfazed by the terrorist threat including David Stanley.
Stanley: "I don't like to fly anyway but no, the security's fine with me. I just don't like the long lines. But that's alright."
Officials say heightened security and long waits will last at least through the weekend. For KPBS, I'm Andrew Phelps.