THE most recent terrorist threat to flying couldn't have come at a more crucial time for the industry -- or for travelers.
As authorities said they had thwarted a plot to blow up jets leaving London and bound for the United States, airlines were starting to make money again, and confident passengers packed planes at unprecedented levels. The alleged plot threw off everyone's calculations.
Although uncertainty remains and new incidents could alter the equation, I think most fliers will adjust. For a while they may cross off some destinations, drive rather than fly on short trips and get to the airport sooner.
But they won't stop traveling.
Why do I think that? Because fliers told me so.
Their attitudes mostly lined up with what industry experts said.
"I don't think a whole lot of people are going to cancel their plans," said Ron Kuhlmann, vice president of Unisys R2A, a transportation management consultancy with offices near San Francisco.
The new hassles, restrictions and unpredictability of air travel will "weigh down" demand by business travelers, especially for short flights, said Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, a private advocacy group for buyers of business travel based in Radnor, Pa. But he didn't foresee a "dramatic falloff in traffic."
Travelers interviewed at LAX on that first chaotic day after the alleged plot was uncovered in Britain and in follow-up calls fell into three categories: vacationers, family visitors and businesspeople.
Here's what they told me.
* Vacationers:
"You can't live with fear," said Linda Ropes of Camarillo. She and her husband, Greg, were stuck in a Delta line with their two children about 10 a.m., with little hope of making their 10:20 a.m. flight to Orlando, Fla.
Upon hearing the headlines, Linda said, "we were ready to cancel. But the kids have been looking forward to this all summer." On their 10-day trip, they planned to visit theme parks and take a Caribbean cruise.
By the time I caught up with them, the Ropeses had spent two hours in five different lines. Linda said they were reconsidering plans for a Mediterranean cruise next summer.
\o7Postscript\f7: The Ropes family made it to Orlando less than two hours behind schedule. "We were glad we continued on our trip," Linda said.
Waiting nearby at LAX, also for the Delta flight to Orlando, were Carl and Sally Linhardt and their son Brock from Mission Viejo.
