Airport security increased after bomb scare

Increased security greeted travelers at the San Antonio International Airport Thursday, the day after a bomb scare that shut the airport down for nearly three hours.

Homeland Security officers could be seen walking through terminals with dogs, and Airport Spokesman Rich Johnson said staff members were a little more vigilant.

A phone call at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday warning of explosives in the airport forced the closure and evacuation of both terminals.

Although an extensive search by police officers turned up nothing, Johnson said the three-hour shutdown was an expensive inconvenience.

“Just the slowdown in commerce, having 2000 people, 20 aircrafts sitting idle on the tarmac,” Johnson said. “It’s expensive. It cost the airlines, it cost the airport, and it cost the city.”

Johnson said he considered the airport’s response to the incident a success, but said there were a handful of things that could be improved upon.

Airport staff will meet with first responders and other parties involved in the incident next week to debrief and determine what, if any, adjustments need to be made in the future.

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