Hartsfield-Jackson: Thanksgiving travel

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Hartsfield-Jackson: Thanksgiving travel

Photos: Travelers pass through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport just before Thanksgiving.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was a quiet place Wednesday morning, with no long lines.

Only three people at Hartsfield-Jackson appeared to be protesting the recent tougher security measures at U.S. airports. One was Shannon Dempsey, who protested the use of full-body scanners by airport security.

Shannon Dempsey gives out fliers at the North Terminal of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport urging travelesr to opt out of the full-body scan.

TSA policy is to direct passengers at random to either metal detectors or scanners according to which lines are shortest, the agency's administrator, John Pistole, said Tuesday. Passengers who would rather wait longer and go through a metal detector rather than a scanner have that option, he said.

AirTran flight attendants, represented by the AFA-CWA, stage a protest on Wednesday over stalled contract negotiations with the airline. Chants of "What do we want" followed by "Contract now" reverberated outside the North Terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Casey Rittner pickets in a turkey outfit with other crew members as AirTran flight attendants, represented by the AFA-CWA, express their frustrations over stalled contract negotiations with Air Tran.

Hartsfield-Jackson spokeswoman Katena Carvajales said the airport does not expect planned protests over the scanners to disrupt travel Wednesday.

Passengers take turns making their way through the metal detectors.

A TSA agent checks a passenger's identification at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Tuesday Nov. 23, 2010.

On Tuesday, the Atlanta airport was notably subdued, vendors and travelers said, with minimal wait times and limited, if any, use of the controversial full-body scanners.

Alan and Lauren Lodwick wait to be picked up from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after arriving from St. Louis on Tuesday without any problems or delays. The couple, who are visiting their daughter in McDonough, said they were surprised that they went through security with ease and speed.

There are 14 full body scanners at Hartsfield-Jackson.

Devin Rodgers (top left) who arrived from New York early Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, snoozes while waiting for his sister to pick him up.

Atlanta Police Officer Davis Derrick and his bomb sniffing dog, Segal, monitor travelers as part of their daily patrol at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Tuesday.

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Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport was a quiet place Wednesday morning, with no long lines.

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