NATIONAL GUARD HELPS AT AIRPORTS, INCLUDING HOPE BURBANK FACILITY OFFICIAL SAYS HE'S PLEASED TO GET AID.

Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- California National Guard troops have been deployed to additional airports throughout the state, including Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, in an effort to beef up security after last week's heightened terror alerts, officials said Wednesday.

The expansion follows the move by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week to send 300 troops to three major airports after reports of British authorities foiling a terrorist plot to blow up U.S.-bound planes.

The deployment now has grown to 600 troops covering eight airports -- Los Angeles, Burbank, Ontario, Orange County, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose and Oakland.

The troops were sent at the request of federal security officials at the individual airports, who said they needed assistance with baggage screening and other security measures.

``We tried to be very vocal about the fact we were going to begin random baggage inspection at the boarder gates to ensure that no beverages and liquids purchased in the sterile area were brought onto the aircraft,'' said Nico Melendez, spokesman for the federal Transportation Security Administration.

``That added to the workload of the TSA and we needed help to carry out that function at the airports.''

One of the main functions of the troops is to assist with secondary random baggage screening of passengers before they board their flights.

California Highway Patrol officers and bomb-sniffing dogs have also been sent to a number of airports to assist with security duties.

Bob Hope Airport spokesman Victor Gill said the airport has had few problems, even though most fliers use it for shorter trips for which they only bring carry-on luggage.

The new screening procedures that prohibit liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-ons just mean more people are now checking their baggage.

``Aside from the morning of Thursday, Aug. 10, we have not seen at all the same kind of delays that were characteristic of that first day,'' Gill said.

Several airports said that while they are still advising passengers to arrive at least two hours before their flights, the delays caused by the additional screening measures have now subsided.

Los Angeles International Airport officials are advising passengers to arrive two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international flights.

That is the same advance time the airport was recommending prior to the new terror alerts, primarily because summer is a busy time for travel, LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles said.

``The screening is going very smoothly and the people are very cooperative,'' Castles said. ``The passengers appear to be well-informed about what they can and can't bring on board. They're checking more luggage and carrying on fewer items.''

Castles said passengers traveling to the United Kingdom should check with their airlines before packing because some have stricter security.

While 600 National Guard troops are now deployed to airports and 1,000 have been sent to the Mexican border to support Border Patrol agents, Guard leaders say they still have sufficient troops to respond to emergencies.

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

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