Airports orderly despite calls to protest security

Despite calls to protest tightened airport security measures, the scene at terminals in New York City and Long Island was quiet and orderly Wednesday.

Most travelers reported smooth sailing through checkpoints and short security lines at LaGuardia, Kennedy, and Long Island MacArthur airports.

A Transportation Security Administration agent at LaGuardia Airport said there were no mass opt-outs of the full-body scanners and travelers had not heeded the call to protest security measures on getaway day - the busiest travel day of the year.

"It was a breeze," said Linda Wood, who flew in from Houston to visit family in her native Port Washington. "The line for Starbucks was longer than the line for security."

At least one traveler arrived at LaGuardia in his underwear to protest increased screening measures that involve detailed X-ray scans and pat-downs, however.

"I don't like the way everyone is submitting so casually to the new policies," said Jason Rockwood, 33, of Manhattan. "We should just call it out and say this is not dignified."

Rockwood arrived wearing short gray boxers and a white tank top undershirt for his trip to Chicago. He said he changed in the cab on the way to the airport and decided to stage the protest after reading about a man who became covered in urine after a TSA pat-down disrupted his medical device.

Despite his protest, Rockwood went through the standard metal detector, gathered his bag and jacket and disappeared into the crowd.

At Gate D at LaGuardia's central terminal, passengers selected for the scan appeared compliant as they raised their hands over their heads in the machine.

Paul Thompson, flying back to Denver from a business trip in New York, said he had no problem with an image of his body being scanned through the machine in Denver. "I've been exercising more," Thompson quipped. "I'd rather be safe."

Port Authority spokesman Steven Coleman said this year people appeared to have "spread out their travel," departing over the weekend or on Monday and Tuesday instead of Wednesday, Coleman said.

In addition, Wednesday's clear, sunny weather "helps planes get up and out of here," he said

Activity at Kennedy Airport's terminals appeared only a little more congested than normal, and passengers did not seem to mind the full-body scanning at security checkpoints.

Beccah Maier, 22, of Seattle, was returning home after visiting New York City for a job interview. "I'm not happy, but I'd rather go through the scanner than be patted down," she said before her first experience with full-body security scanning in Terminal 3.

At Long Island MacArthur Airport, extra staff helped alleviate congestion, said Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan. MacArthur does not have the new TSA body scanners, but saw an uptick in passengers this week compared with the same week last year, spokeswoman Catherine Green said.

Lisa Seltzer, 56, of Dix Hills, and her husband Paul were among travelers at MacArthur waiting to depart to visit their children in Baltimore. "It's so convenient and just so easy," Seltzer said. "We used to drive down. It was horrible, and now it's effortless."

According to published reports, AAA predicts 42.2 million people will travel distances of 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving weekend, and 94 percent of those will be on the highways, a historic level. Compared with last holiday season, AAA said the increase in travelers will be about 11 percent.

As lines at LaGuardia continued to flow smoothly last night, Penny Park, 59, of Oklahoma City, said, if anything, her annual Thanksgiving trip to see her son in New York City was simpler than usual.

"I don't quite get the problem that got people freaked out," she said. "I just want to go have Thanksgiving like everybody else."

With Gary Dymski, Chau Lam, Jennifer Maloney and Carl MacGowan