BAG SEARCH RULES GO INTO EFFECT FRIDAY.

Byline: Erik N. Nelson Staff Writer

Air travelers face new hardships starting Friday: When they get to the airport, inspectors could go through their baggage as part of new rules to keep bombs off U.S. airlines.

Friday is the deadline for a new federal law requiring all airlines to screen 100 percent of luggage that's checked in for travel in the belly of domestic airliners. And that likely means long lines and delays as every bag must be examined by machines or by hand.

``Definitely, this weekend, I'd try not to fly,'' said Issy Boim, who runs Houston-based Air Security International, an aviation security consulting firm.

The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, enacted Nov. 19 in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, set up the new screening rules, established the Transportation Security Administration and levied a $2.50 charge on each leg of a plane trip, limited to $5 each one-way trip and $10 for a round-trip ticket.

Under the new requirement, airlines will make some use of new van-size bomb-detection machines, but experts say there are too few of them and that most luggage will have to be hand-searched. Airlines also have the option of matching each piece of luggage to a passenger who has boarded the plane.

Airline representatives, citing the need to keep security measures secret, declined to describe how they would meet the new security requirements. But they said they are optimistic about their ability to comply with the new law.

``We'll be implementing a variety of procedures,'' said Jack Walsh, a spokesman for Alaska Airlines. ``For security reasons, we're not going to get into them at all. They're being put in place. We'll meet the deadline.''

While saying ``we don't anticipate that there will be widespread delays,'' Walsh advised passengers at both Los Angeles International Airport and Burbank Airport to arrive at least two hours before their flight's departure time.

Victor Gill, a spokesman for Burbank Airport, was more cautious.

``We don't have any way of knowing what, if any, delays there will be as a result (of the new security screening). We're all on watch and we hope that (the airlines) get close to their goal.''

Boim dismissed claims that the airline industry could screen all passenger bags and still operate.

``It's obvious that nobody's ready,'' Boim said. ``It's such a big volume that we will not be able to process every passenger the same way.''

What's needed, he said, is a better screening procedure for passengers so more energy can be devoted to checking the belongings of certain passengers who might appear to be a threat.

``The (bomb detection) machine is doing its job, but now we have to put every piece of luggage in the machine,'' which is not yet possible, Boim said.

Today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta is scheduled to report to the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council on progress in implementing the Aviation Security Act.

Boim, a veteran of the Israeli Security Services who helped design El Al Israeli Airlines' legendary security procedures, recommended that travelers who do have to fly allot themselves 2 1/2 hours to get through check-in at LAX and about an hour for smaller facilities like Burbank Airport.

Most importantly, Boim recommended that travelers ``try to simplify the screener's life'' by packing bags that are easy to rummage through.

``Don't have a box that can't be opened, don't have complicated electronic components'' or other items that would bring the already cumbersome process of hand-searching bags to a screeching halt, he said. The bottom line is, ``passengers should take as little ... as possible.''

Friday's deadline looms even larger for the airlines, which are currently responsible for their own security, and the fledgling Transportation Security Administration, which takes over that responsibility Nov. 19 under that act's provisions.

``We remain committed to meeting the baggage screening requirements by Friday,'' said Diana Cronan, spokeswoman for the airline industry's Air Transport Association. At the same time, she said, the air carriers are also ``committed to making air travel a smooth experience for all of our passengers.''

Balancing the need to carefully screen luggage and passengers with the need to transport people efficiently is also important to the new Transportation Security Administration, said agency spokesman Hank Price.

``You could have the safest, most secure aviation system in the world and not have any aircraft fly, but that would not be very efficient,'' Price said.

AIRPORT TIPS

Officials offered these suggestions for travelers who check luggage after the new rules take effect Friday:

--Pack so your bags can be unpacked easily.

--Don't pack anything that is difficult to open, such as wrapped gifts or locked boxes.

--Show up at the airport 2 1/2 hours before departure time.

--Stay with your bags at all times until they are checked. Loose luggage could be destroyed by airport security personnel.

--Check in promptly at the gate. Bags not matched to passengers will be removed from the aircraft.

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AIRPORT TIPS (see text)