Airports hope for smooth security.

Byline: ED RUSSO The Register-Guard

When the change takes place Friday, airline passengers should barely notice the latest attempt to bolster travel security. That's the hope anyway.

The nation's airports, including those in Eugene and Portland, are expected to temporarily meet new baggage screening requirements by making sure that every passenger is on a plane with his or her luggage. Now, it's possible for someone to check in their luggage, but not take the flight with the baggage, either by not getting on the plane or by leaving the plane after they board.

Airline representatives said security concerns prevent them from saying which measures will be used to meet the bomb-screening requirements in the federal Aviation and Transportation Security Act. However, the impracticality of three other approved methods - hand-searching luggage, explosive-detection machines (which are in short supply) and bomb-sniffing dogs - make bag matching an expected choice.

Airlines will use a combination of the measures to satisfy the screening rules and "will place particular emphasis" on bag matching, according to Portland International Airport.

Eugene Airport Manager Bob Noble said travelers may be required to get on planes earlier than they have in the past to give airlines more time to compare the luggage in the cargo hold with the passengers in the cabin.

Some airlines now may let passengers start to board 20 minutes before departure, but that period could be lengthened to 30 minutes or 40 minutes before the flight, Noble said.

The airlines also may be tougher when it comes to approving last-minute changes.

United Airlines, for example, said it will clamp new restrictions on last-minute requests to change flight times or routes.

Representatives of the three airlines that serve Eugene - United, Horizon and America West - said travelers should see little, if any, difference when they get to the airport on Friday and after.

"We hope that this whole process is transparent to passengers," Horizon spokeswoman Cheryl Temple said.

In fact, the airlines are sticking with their recommendations that people get to the airport from one hour to 1 1/2 hours before their flights depart. This may indicate that airline officials are confident about the effectiveness of the behind-the-scenes checking, but travelers soon will learn how well the systems work.

"We advise passengers to pack their patience along with their bags," Temple said.

Slowdowns are possible at other, larger airports. United, for example, said that while it is trying to limit impacts on customers, some lines may get longer if more passengers decide to take carry-on bags, which are screened at already busy security checkpoints.

Matching bags and passengers is a stopgap measure intended to give airlines and the new Transportation Security Administration time to meet another deadline in the federal law: By the end of the year, all checked bags must be screened by explosive detection machines.