Confidence in flying shaken, not broken

Sprinting through an airport to a catch a leaving flight is becoming a thing of the past. Potential flyers will have to endure a thorough inspection of bags, person, as well as ticketing information, leaving little time for passengers to dally around airports.\nWith terrorists threats and airplane malfunctions unlikely, yet possible, consumers feel the sky is not the smart place to be.\n"I wish they'd check the plane twice," sophomore Angela Fonyuy said.\n Fonyuy has never flown before, but plans to fly to Africa this winter break to visit her family. This first time flyer's nerves are calm for now, as she counts the days until her flight leaves.\n"At first, I was at ease, but then again, you keep hearing stuff," Fonyuy said.\n With consumer confidence dwindling, Indianapolis International Airport along with American Trans Airlines, which is hubbed in Indianapolis, could soon be feeling the affects of consumer fears.\n Dennis Rosebrough, public relations director for Indianapolis International, went downstairs Thursday afternoon to discover the airport terminals vibrant with people.\n "Our experience is that people are returning to flying more quickly then we expected," Rosebrough said.\n The Indianapolis Airport has recently completed a change of security procedure. This change involves combining two security check points into one. Concourse B and C will no longer have two metal detectors each; they will now be combined into a six metal detector security system.\n Airports and commercial airlines have requested airline customers arrive two hours early to endure the lengthy, yet necessary security process.\n "For students to be traveling over thanksgiving they need to arrive at the airport with plenty of time to complete the security and ticketing checks," Rosebrough said.\n Currently congress is debating if airport security check points should be manned by airline personnel, as they are now, or if the Federal Aviation Administration should post their personnel in airports.\n "We now live in the new normal of airline travel, where airline and airport work together," Rosebrough said.\n Angela Thomas, public relations director of ATA, refused to comment on the recent airline disaster or any other issues dealing with airline safety.\n Along with airline administrators, IU students are feeling the tension of flying.\n "I've always had a part of me that didn't like the idea of flying," Continuing Studies student Cindy Evans said.\n Evans was relatively unimpressed with her only airline experience, however prefers it to driving.\n "I don't think of terrorism as a fear, but what's always in the back of my mind is a plane crash," she said.\n Evans plans to fly to Florida this winter break to visit family, but has not ruled out the possibility of driving.\n "I feel like I have more control driving, even though I know flying is safer," Evans said.\n Sophomore Samantha Korak, plans to fly to Toronto between semesters.\n "You think about plane crashes and even terrorism when you fly these days," she said.\n Korak plans to take Air Canada because she does not trust American airline companies. \n "It's really sad and my heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by all the tragedy," Korak said.