AIR TRAVELERS ARRIVE EARLY BECAUSE OF LONGER WAITS.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

Buddhist monks, draped in saffron robes, and contemporary Christian singers, propped up on pillows, said they were trusting their travel to a higher power Friday as they showed up early at Los Angeles International Airport because of tighter security following the crash of TWA Flight 800.

At the nation's fourth-busiest airport, a security alert that began in June 1995 over fears of an attack by the Unabomber have never relented. Most passengers, however, seemed to be giving themselves extra time - just in case.

``Our security has been heightened since 1995 because we were among that group with the Unabomber and we never went down in our security,'' said airport spokeswoman Cora Jackson-Fossett.

In the first six months of the year, the airport towed nearly 5,000 cars away and issued citations to the offenders, a 33 percent increase from the previous year.

As passengers waited for flights from the busy Tom Bradley International Terminal on Friday, a public address announcement repeated constantly: ``Unattended vehicles will be towed and cited immediately for your own safety and security.''

The announcements were being broadcast at closer intervals since the airport enhanced its security last year, the spokeswoman said.

Inside the terminal, some passengers arrived up to four hours in advance of their international flights.

Cora Fossett, LAX spokeswoman, said passengers on domestic flights should be prepared to show up two hours early, and three hours prior to international flights.

No flight delays were reported Friday, Fossett said.

David Lee, 27, the leader of a contemporary Christian music troupe, said the wait is worth it for increased safety. He agreed with President Clinton's directive to perform more pre-flight inspections of baggage and aircraft.

``Beefing up security is a great idea,'' he said. ``There will be inconvenience, but if it will make flying safer, that's what we need to be doing.''

Travelers at Burbank Airport encountered long lines at ticket counters but no flight delays, said Angela Cranon, airport spokeswoman.

Most airline employees and curb-side sky caps were asking for passengers' identification at check-in, as well as conducting intermittent baggage searches, Cranon said.

Combine those tougher security measures with heavy summer travel and reduced fares, and you've got a recipe for long lines, Cranon said.

``People should allow plenty of time before their flights; we're advising them to arrive an hour to an hour and a half early,'' Cranon said.

The airport itself has not increased its security, Cranon said.

``We feel pretty safe and secure here,'' she said.

At LAX, members of Lee's Christian music troupe, the Continental Singers, based in Ventura, propped themselves up on pillows during the pre-flight check-in. Young men and women in the group, ages 16 to 28, were headed for a singing engagement in Bangkok, Thailand.

The tragedy of TWA Flight 800 was on the minds of some members of his group, Lee said, but they were in cheerful spirits as they hunched up on their pillows and blankets.

``We talked a little about it, and of course there is a concern,'' Lee said. ``We know that our trust is in God. We prayed and we think that God started our work and he is going to let us complete it.''

A few yards away, a group of Buddhist monks also waited. For them, the trip was a return to Thailand after a months-long visit to temples in New York, Texas and Los Angeles.

Their escort, Mani Rurkbai, said the Buddhist priests had heard about the mysterious end of TWA Flight 800 - when it exploded and crashed into the ocean off Long Island, New York, killing all 230 aboard.

``They just heard about it on the news,'' she said, adding that it did not increase their anxiety about making their own trip home.

``If it is time to go, it is time to go,'' she said.

In their case, the five monks sat chatting and smiling cheerfully in preparation for their 17-hour flight back to Thailand.

Near the TWA terminal, Frank Keal was collecting donations for the Gospel Mission, a missionary organization that aids the homeless. Keal said it was difficult to observe enhanced security inspections without entering through the metal detectors with a boarding pass.

``I know two or three people who told me that they are taking TWA after Flight 800 because they feel that will be safer,'' Keal said. ``They figured TWA had already been hit.''

Airport spokeswoman Jackson-Fossett said passengers should avoid wrapping gifts and birthday presents because they will be unwrapped for inspection. She said travelers carrying beepers, computers or cellular phones will be expected to activate them during security inspections.