Travel industry takes big financial blow

Canceled reservations, complimentary hotel bills, refunded airplane tickets and grounded flights all are taking an expensive toll on a travel industry that doesn't expect any new revenue soon.

Even beyond the unfathomable loss of life and property on the East Coast, the consequences of Tuesday's terrorist acts are having an effect here as well.

"I expect some businesses to shut down by the end of the year," said Deborah Mileur, manager of AAA Travel in Cape Girardeau.

And many of the travel agencies that survive are going to show a big deficit at the end of the year, she said.

Considering all the businesses that rely on air delivery beyond the travel industry, just one day of air traffic stoppage is devastating to the nation; compounded by several days, the loss is astounding, Mileur said.

"This is a huge financial blow to us, to airlines and to the industry as a whole," said Carolyn Kempf, manager of Elite Travel in Cape Girardeau. And she doesn't see things getting back to normal any time soon.

Intense security

At the handful of major airports that reopened, passengers found long waits due to intense new security measures, including bans on seemingly every conceivable weapon -- even nail clippers and plastic knives. And there were numerous delays and cancellations.

Officials at airports across the country said it could be late next week before commercial service is fully restored. Chances of getting a flight out of the nation's smaller airports remained slim Friday, and private flights still were banned.

Before flights could begin operating, airports were required to implement new security measures, including banning curbside check-in and limiting access to ticketed passengers beyond security screening points.

Armed agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs Service were deployed at airport security checkpoints across the country.

Kempf in Cape Girardeau said she has clients stranded everywhere from Mexico to London who just want to come home. Others have put their honeymoons and vacations on hold indefinitely.

"I hate to see people's dreams and hopes and businesses freeze up due to terrorism," Kempf said.

Elwanda Compas was scheduled to fly to London Tuesday night on the first leg of a journey that would include a bus tour through Germany. She expected the Bootheel Area Rapid Transportation van to pick her up about 2 p.m.

It didn't happen. The tour was canceled and her money will be refunded. But she's ready to get on a plane and go whenever she gets a chance to reschedule.

Fear and unease

Others are uneasy about getting on a plane.

"You wouldn't expect any individual to feel normal about flying right now," said Curtis Hsia, a psychologist at Boston University's Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders.

This week's tragedies have blurred the distinctions between a reasonable fear and an irrational phobia, he said, and only the passing of time with no more terrorist acts will clear that up.

Mileur said she has seen a high level of fear from her customers, but it's more about being away from family in uncertain times than fear of flying.

"The bigger fear is being away in case something happens," she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

abuchanan@semissourian.com

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