Students choose alternative travel during breaks since Sept. attacks

Local airport suffers 50 percent decrease in flights

During this time of year, thousands of JMU students are faced with the issue of how to travel home for the holidays. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, many students have fears about flying, leaving them with fewer travel options.

Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport has been an easy route for students in the past. Located in Weyers Cave, it is the only airport in the Valley, serving Harrisonburg, Staunton and Rockingham and Augusta counties.

Approximately 30 percent of students at JMU are from out of state, according to Dean of Admissions Michael Walsh.

Students often rely on Shenandoah Airport to travel distances to see their families.

Sophomore Amy Brunquell said she flew out of Shenandoah for Fall Break in October. "I had made the reservations on [September] 10, for convenience, so choosing Shenandoah didn't really pertain to the terrorist attacks," she said.

Brunquell said her father wanted her to cancel her flight after the attacks, but she chose not to. She said she felt safe at Shenandoah, but it was strange to see the increased security.

According to Dennis Burnett, deputy director of Shenandoah airport, nearly 50 percent of all flights were cut after the attacks. He said that since then, security has increased, but there has been little increase in the number of flights scheduled.

Now, there are five departures from the airport each day, compared to last year when there were usually 10, Burnett said. He said they gradually are increasing the number of flights that depart daily.

"Compared to last year, a lot fewer students bought tickets to depart from Shenandoah for the holidays," Burnett said. "We were still very busy last week during Thanksgiving, and more flights were planned during that time."
Burnett said he expects the airport to be as busy as last year during Winter Break. "Advanced tickets have already been sold and we are historically right in line with last year, taking into consideration the reduction in flights," he said.

Burnett emphasized the importance for all travelers to be very cautious with carryon luggage and be prepared for thorough searches.

Sophomore Caroline Zito said she took a connecting flight out of Shenandoah to get home to Connecticut this Thanksgiving. She said she plans to use the airport again to leave for Winter Break.

"I was a little nervous about flying, but I felt really comfortable once I got to the airport and saw all the police and National Guard," Zito said. "It made me feel safe knowing the security procedures were improved."

Other students chose different airports and even trains to get home for Thanksgiving.

Junior Diana Smyth, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., drove to Washington Dulles International Airport to fly home.

"I don't like small planes, and Shenandoah is such a small airport that I was worried that security there wasn't as strict as a larger airport that thousands of people use every day," Smyth said. She said she always has flown out of Dulles because of her dislike of small planes such as those used at Shenandoah.

According to the Shenandoah Airport Web site, passengers are required to have all trip documentation and receipts, including two forms of identification. Delays should be expected due to additional security procedures, and officials are stricter about carryon luggage and unattended bags.

Sophomore Keri Schlosser said she chose not to use Shenandoah airport to fly home to Nevada last week, but used Baltimore-Washington International Airport to avoid additional connecting flights and high costs of flying out of the Valley.

Travelers can see a major difference between flight costs on airline Web sites such as www.usairways.com.

According to u.s. airways yesterday, a mid-afternoon round trip flight between Shenandoah and Logan Airport in Boston, with a connecting flight in Pittsburgh each way, leaving Shenandoah Dec. 15 and returning Jan. 6, costs $747.50. A round trip, non-stop flight departing and returning the same days and around the same times from Baltimore-Washington and Logan costs $109.75.

Schlosser said she noticed that, in general, airports have stepped up security since the attacks.

"It takes so much longer to get through security now," Schlosser said. "They have random security checks when you check in and even right before you get on the plane."

Schlosser said she plans to take the same route to get home for Winter Break. "I know now that it is important to plan my time better because it took me three hours to check in last Tuesday," she said.

Many out-of-state students, including junior Leah Lavelle, chose not to fly at all.

Lavelle said she never flies home to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., but takes a train instead. "I am a little bit weary about flying, but it's so much easier to take the train anyway," she said. "It's a lot cheaper and it goes right to my hometown, so I don't have to worry about connecting flights."

Lavelle said she thinks more students should use trains because they are safer than cars and many people seem to be scared to fly.