U.S. Airspace Reopened on Case-by-Case Basis

The U.S. Transportation Department on Thursday ordered national airspace reopened to commercial and private aviation from 11:00 a.m. eastern time on. All non-military flights were grounded since Tuesday’s plane crashes in New York and Washington.

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced that commercial aviation is to be continued on a case-by-case basis as airports implement the stricter standards.

“We will not allow the enemy to win the war by restricting our freedom of mobility,” Mineta told reporters.

Airports have implemented new security measures including a ban on all knives and a discontinuation of curbside check-in.

Travelers can expect thorough security checks at check-in and boarding, and boarding areas are restricted to passengers only. Air marshals or armed plainclothes security guards will be placed on domestic flights.

The Departments of Justice and Treasury are deploying agents to airports, although Mineta warned that several weeks’ training will be required for some of them.

“We do need trained personnel on how to deal with the use of weapons on an aluminum cylinder that’s flying through the air,” he said during this morning’s news conference.

Mineta has also asked the military for members of its elite counterterrorist Delta Force to increase the number of air marshals.

Several major airlines will spend today working to complete flights diverted on Tuesday during the terrorist attacks.