No delays from new baggage screening laws at Atlanta airport

ATLANTA - Airlines began stricter baggage screening techniques at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport on Friday, but for the most part, the new procedures did not cause any serious delays. <br> <br> Most passengers, fearing long lines because of baggage checks, arrived two or three hours early, but were surprised to move through ticket lines and security checkpoints quickly. <br> <br> ``Two hours was what they were saying before all this, so we added another hour to go through all the extra screening,&#39;&#39; said Mary Zimmermann of Salisbury, Md., who waited in line only 40 minutes. <br> <br> ``Now we&#39;ll see if all this is effective or not.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> A law went into effect Friday requiring airlines to check bags for explosives either by machine, hand or bomb-sniffing dog, or by matching each piece of checked luggage to a passenger on board <br> <br> Ben DeCosta, Atlanta airport general manager, declined to say which of the new security measures most airlines were taking. <br> <br> Some airport officials have said most airlines are matching bags with passengers. With air travel still lagging, airlines want to increase security without creating long lines. <br> <br> ``Direct checking would cause enormous lines and delays for passengers at a time when we&#39;re trying to get people back on airplanes and get the airlines healthy again,&#39;&#39; said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association. ``Long lines at airports would have turned a lot more people away from air travel.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> By Dec. 31, all airlines will be required to check all bags with explosive-detection machines. About 160 of the $1 million, van-size machines already are in use, and the government will have to buy at least 2,000 more, FAA officials have said. <br> <br> Diane Blatt, who lives in Marietta, was taking a noon flight Friday to her native Scotland for a vacation. She arrived at 9:30 a.m. and was chosen for a random bag search. <br> <br> &#39;&#39;(It&#39;s) not a hassle at all,&#39;&#39; she said. ``I&#39;m glad they&#39;re doing it.&#39;&#39;