Jetliners returned to the nation's skies Thursday for the first time in two days, carrying nervous passengers who faced strict new security measures following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
There was tension and confusion as the aviation industry lurched back into service.
The New York area's three major airports _ Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark, New Jersey _ were opened and then shut down as FBI officials sought a ``small number'' of individuals for questioning in the attacks and were feared to be fleeing the city. One law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said three men were apprehended at Kennedy but other details were not released.
Earlier, a terminal at LaGuardia and Orlando International Airport were briefly evacuated over separate, unfounded bomb scares.
Elsewhere, no planes had left Chicago's busy O'Hare International Airport by late afternoon and Boston's Logan International Airport still had not met the Federal Aviation Administration's security requirements as of 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT).
But for the first time since Tuesday, travelers had the option of flying in the United States _ even if the service was limited to a handful of flights.
At Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Sam Hemphill was among a dozen people lined up at a TWA ticket counter. He said he was uneasy about flying but wanted to get home to Jacksonville, Florida.
``Whatever happens, happens,'' Hemphill said. ``You have to keep going. If you stop living life, they've won.''
The airlines were grounded Tuesday after jets hijacked in Boston, Newark and Washington's Dulles airport were crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta cleared the way for commercial flights to resume Thursday, saying airports would be opened and flights resumed on a case-by-case basis _ but only after the new security measures are in place. Private flights are still banned.
Under the tightest airport security since the Gulf War in 1991, there will be no more curbside check-ins or visits to terminal gates to meet passengers.
Knives and other cutting tools, even plastic ones, are prohibited. Mail and cargo are temporarily banned from passenger flights.
Federal marshals were on hand at many airports.
``People in this country have a hang-up about having their personal space invaded, but when you're in this situation you have to sacrifice some of your individuality,'' said Kevin McArthur, a business consultant waiting at Denver International Airport for a flight to Chicago.
The disasters were on the minds of even the most experienced travelers. Northwest Airlines employees were urged by union officials to wear black ribbons on their uniform lapels.
Some of the first flights over U.S. airspace Thursday were jets that had been diverted to Canada when the terrorists struck.
Among them was Alitalia Flight 624, which left Calgary, Alberta, for San Francisco but was forced to turn around by military jets whose pilots apparently believed American air space was off-limits to international flights. After clarification from the FAA, the flight _ which originated in Milan on Tuesday _ landed in San Francisco two hours later than expected and 48 hours late overall.
Another Alitalia flight left Calgary and landed in Los Angeles.
The San Diego airport was largely deserted, with a few business and vacation travelers waiting for a spot on a handful of flights expected to leave late Thursday. Skycaps and other airport employees, standing around in small groups talking, outnumbered passengers.
Travelers ran into long lines at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest.
Precise figures on the number of airports that reopened Thursday and the number of aircraft flying were unavailable, but FAA spokesman Bill Shumann said traffic was clearly a fraction of what it would be under normal circumstances.
Agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs were deployed at airport security check points across the country.
``We have taken every precaution to make sure it is safe to fly in America,'' President George W. Bush said Thursday. ``There are beefed-up security in our airports, there's increased presence on the airplanes. Yes, if a family member asked if they should fly, I would say, 'Yes.'''
However, major airlines warned that it would take days to return to normal service. Delta, American and TWA offered a limited schedule Thursday, and United put off scheduled service until Friday morning.
Continental canceled all regularly scheduled flights for the day.
At the Denver airport, Jay Jardim and his wife, Kim, hoped to get a flight to the New York area because Jardim's older brother was missing in the trade center attack.
Jardim's brother was on the 106th floor when the jet hit his tower. Jardim said his brother sent a quick text message but hasn't been heard from since.
``We're just hoping for some sort of priority list for not just us but all of the families of the victims,'' Jardim said.
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