More National Guardsmen will be at airports for holidays

WASHINGTON -- President Bush announced a 25 percent holiday-season increase Friday in the number of National Guard troops stationed at airports and prodded Congress to move "as quickly as possible" on legislation strengthening airline security.

Bush said the additional troops would be called up immediately. "These are temporary measures and we believe they will help a lot," he said.

The announcement marked the latest effort to restore public confidence in the airline system in the wake of the Sept. 11 hijacking attacks that killed thousands in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

The House and Senate have passed differing versions of airline safety legislation, the Senate calling for the federalization of the current system of baggage screeners, the House voting to leave them in private companies.

Bush said the two bills were not that far apart, and said, "the federal government must take and I believe will take control of aviation security."

National Guard troops already have been patrolling at airports, and Bush said in his White House announcement that 6,000 already had been called up. "In order to increase the security of airline travelers during the holiday season we will increase by 25 percent the number of National Guard personnel," he said, a day after the White House promised a dramatic increase in the Guard's presence.

'Transition' meetings

With the legislation still making its way through Congress, Bush also charged Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta with beginning a series of "transition planning meetings" with security companies, airlines and others, in advance of the day he can sign legislation giving the federal government a greater role.

The White House said in advance that Bush's aim was to let the states use federal money to meet individual needs at airports -- everything from monitoring departure gates and baggage screening, to guarding parking garages and air traffic control towers. Homeland security director Tom Ridge said he planned to contact the nation's governors after Bush's announcement.

Because of a huge decline in air travel following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the number of passengers flying this year will be less than last year -- only the second decline since World War II, according to the Air Transport Association, the trade group for the major airlines. The only other yearly drop came in 1991, following the Persian Gulf War and during the nation's last recession.