EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is part of a series looking at changes and experiences in the area on and since Sept. 11, 2001 as we mark the 20th anniversary of the national tragedy.
The Sept. 11 2001 terrorist attacks had an immediate and far-reaching impact on airports offering commercial flights, no matter how big or small.
Barry Lind, airport director at Manistee County Blacker Airport in Manistee, said the biggest change came in the form of the Transportation Security Administration.
"The whole world of TSA came as a result of what happened after 9/11," Lind said. "Prior to that, the airlines themselves were responsible for screening passengers, and not every airline necessarily did things the same way. After 9/11, the federal government created TSA to standardize airport and airline security. Any airport with commercial passenger service now has TSA checkpoints. It was a pretty big change."
Blacker Airport only has one commercial passenger route, multiple daily flights to Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City offers multiple commercial passenger flights through multiple airlines.
"Well, right away, the federal government brought in and utilized Michigan's National Guard, so we had military personnel at checkpoints, over the next several months after the attack," said Kevin Klein, airport director at Cherry Capital. "Then the TSA stood up as a new government agency in charge of security under Homeland Security. As they stood up, checkpoints went from private security hired by the airlines to a government agency. The security inspectors that normally were the watchdog over airlines went from the FAA to the TSA. TSA remains in place to this day."
Klein said that also meant instead of inspectors showing up at random times, they were there every day.
"It really increased the security standards," he said. "It was a big change for the better of the public."
Lind said having TSA at the airport required some changes to the facility.
"A follow up effect of the new security requirements is space became an issue here in our old terminal," he said. "That ultimately led to plans in the mid-2000s for the new terminal. One of the driving factors was so that we could handle all the TSA equipment like the baggage screening and extra machines and have enough space for people to sit after they've gone through security. All these things were lacking in our old terminal. It became a requirement and a need for a new terminal."
Lind said the new terminal opened in 2007.
He said the airport built a 10-foot perimeter fence all around the airport, and installed a number of other security upgrades.
Cherry Capital also had spaces issues when TSA inspectors were first stationed at the airport.
"At the time, we were at the old airline terminal at north side of the airport," Klein said. "We had challenges accommodating the checkpoint. We had to do some reconfiguring. We reconfigured a hold room that created more barriers and reconfigured the exit lane with a revolving door so people couldn't get back through. We had to be upgraded to TSA standards."
Klein said that's when the airport commission came up with a new terminal project.
"We continued building when a lot of airports stopped capital projects," he said. "We were on the cusp of new requirements when we built a new terminal. We put in an inline baggage system. That in itself was a major feet to get get completed."
Klein said that once the new terminal opened in 2004, it had some of the latest and greatest security standards at the time, as new concepts for security were rolling out as the terminal was being built.
Lind said getting used to the ongoing security measures, which include training staff, was a big change.
"The ongoing security program is now part of our lives to a much greater degree than it was prior to 9/11," Lind said. "There is annual training. Topics change from year to year. It has been focusing recently on drone use and how drones could be potentially be utilized by a terrorist organization to conduct things. We have role training at our airport. The nature of security and technology evolves."
He also said people flying out of Blacker should be aware that just because the airport is small, doesn't mean they won't have to deal with the TSA.
"Because of our size people assume there is going to be less significant screening," Lind said. "But the whole purpose of TSA is to provide a consistent level of security despite the size of the airport. Sometimes people get here without enough time to complete screening. Bags need to be screened at the same level as any other airport."
Klein said that the types of flights and aircraft being used also changed after 9/11.
"Immediately, from an economic standpoint, there were changes," he said. "There was a lot of reductions in air service. We saw reductions in numbers and types of flights. We saw airlines changing from the bigger jets to turboprop aircraft. There was a significant change in air traffic after 9/11. Some airlines struggled to have any service at all. About three years later we saw some normalcy start to take place."
Permanent changes aside, Klein said he vividly remembered the short-term changes in the days and months following 9/11.
"When you look back at the time frame and everything happening that day, it was very interesting how the aviation system handled the challenges," he said. "Immediate and effective, it caused a lot of chaos on the ground. Once airplanes landed, there was a rush to get people through and to their destinations.
"After the initial day, the system got very quiet. Few people were flying. It was so quiet and so scary. The quietness was as scary as terrorists. It will always stick with me. I think of all heroes that day, everybody participating. Firefighters, police, people taking on terrorists on the plane (United Airlines Flight 93), and then quiet. That will sit with me forever."
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20 years later, air travel still impacted by 9/11 terrorist attacks - Manistee News Advocate
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