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Las Vegas Airport Unaffected by War

LAS VEGAS -- The beginning of U.S. military action against Iraq had little effect Wednesday on operations at McCarran International Airport, where travelers offered a range of opinions about flying just hours after the start of a war.

On leave from duty in the Army, Pvt. Angel Frias met his father at the airport around 8 p.m., shortly after he learned he could face an early return to active duty should his field artillery unit be deployed to the Middle East within the next few days.

"There are a lot of emotions going through me right now," said Frias, a graduate of Valley High School. "I just want to get out and serve my country."

Though Debbie Williams' round-trip tickets originally cost $170 she paid Alaska Airlines an additional $133 so she could fly back to Portland, Ore., on Wednesday evening instead of this afternoon. She said images from Iraq stirred memories of Sept. 11, 2001.

"I was about a mile and half from the Pentagon on 9-11 when the plane hit," said Williams, who was in Las Vegas to attend a real estate convention. "This time, I'm not taking any chances that the airports will shut down; I just want to get home to my family."

McCarran officials reported nothing unusual Wednesday night, a normally slow period for traffic at the airport.

Transportation Security Administration regional spokeswoman Suzanne Luber also said operations at McCarran were largely unaffected by the start of the war, with few lines reported at security gates or ticket counters.

Security measures were increased when the nation's alert status was upgraded to Code Orange earlier this week, Luber said, and passengers traveling Wednesday evening experienced almost nothing different than those who flew earlier this week.

Many travelers were in the air when the war began, including Las Vegas resident Steve Hagen. After he landed, Hagen said he'll continue to fly normally.

"We've got to have faith in our system," Hagen said. "We can't quit doing what we'd do or they'l l ruin us."

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