By Mary Malloy
"He asked if I had seen the news yet [that] morning," said LauKaitis. He was referring to the reports out of London of the terrorist plot to blow up airplanes flying from England to the U.S. The threat level at London and New York airports had been elevated.
LauKaitis immediately checked her daughter Amber's itinerary. Amber 13, whose father, Donald, is also an auxiliary police officer in East Rockaway, was traveling at that moment as a student ambassador with a program called "People to People." Amber had been recommended by her teacher for the program, which sends students abroad. England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales were on Amber's schedule.
Diane breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Amber was on a ferry at the time, traveling from southern Ireland to Wales. "I got a call from another parent on the People to People phone chain," Diane recounted. "She said they got word that the kids were OK, and they didn't even know [about the terrorist plot] yet."
Calls weren't going through to the hotel where the group was staying, and LauKaitis did not sleep that night. "I just wanted to hear her voice," she said. Amber was finally able to call at 6:30 the following night.
"They kept the kids busy," said LauKaitis. "They didn't change their schedules."
When Amber was due to come home last Saturday, her group finally realized the severity of the situation when they encountered the intense security at London's Heathrow Airport. "There were three security checks," said Amber, now back at home. "First they physically patted us down, then they checked our luggage, and then they checked whatever we were carrying." Since the plot had involved hiding liquid explosives in carry-on bags, everyone had to discard anything liquid and more. "My friend just bought some books at the airport shop, and he had to give them away," Amber said. "I don't know why they did that."
"Whenever the phone rang that weekend, I jumped," said her mother. "My daughter had just scaled a castle wall, jumped in a bog, and then this. Getting home turned out to be her biggest adventure."
Amber and her group spent more than 12 hours at Heathrow. "We were supposed to be there six hours before our flight," she said, "and then the flight was delayed another six hours." It wasn't until midnight last Saturday that she finally landed in New York.
"I knew she was OK," Diane said, "but I just wanted to hold her in my arms."
Travel agencies
According to Carole Kennavane, managing partner of NGL Travel Associates in Lynbrook, people are "waiting and watching." "They are inquiring for September travel," Kennavane said. "Only one party canceled a trip to the Caribbean that weekend. Their flights were canceled, and they didn't want to wait. It would have been too much trouble for them to go."
"We saw about a 30 percent decrease in call that next day," said Chris Accomando, president of Sceptre Tours in Lynbrook. "There have been no cancellations so far, just people asking about what they're allowed to carry onto the plane." Sceptre specializes in trips to Ireland and Scotland.
Status quo for travelers
Emily Alspector, 20, is an East Rockaway High School graduate who currently lives in California. "I feel pretty secure when I travel," she said. "The heightened security, although sometimes inconvenient, really makes me feel comfortable. I'm flying to Barcelona on Aug. 30 and from London on Dec. 27. I don't see any point in changing plans to try and avoid possible acts of terrorism. You can't live life that way."
Charlie Hirschberg of East Rockaway said that although he is concerned, he is not worried. "If I were flying international," he said, "and to a nation more conducive to terrorism, I would be more worried. My wife and I will be flying to Aruba next month, and I'll expect more check-in time and inspections. Next week I'll be gone for five days, and usually take a carry-on that includes my shaving stuff and cologne. Now I don't know if I'll check my baggage instead or just forgo them and take an electric shaver."
"I was returning from Europe the day before this all hit the newspapers," said Olga Sicker of Oceanside, "and of course I was subject to additional search procedures. Travel is part of my day-to-day job responsibilities. I think more in terms of my day-to-day survival rate when riding the subway system or driving on a bridge or tunnel, since these places are more readily accessible to terrorist bombs."
Dan Neel, a technology journalist from East Rockaway, travels often because of his job. He was ready to change plans because of the security wait at the airport. "I never check baggage," he said. "I just carry on two pieces, my briefcase with my laptop and papers, and a small suitcase. In there I always carry hair gel, toothpaste and other liquids, like deodorant. I was booked on a flight to St. Louis on Aug. 14 for just a day's travel. I had a fit when I learned I'd have to endure possibly a three-hour wait at security, and I even considered the 19-hour drive. Amazingly, I found myself thinking about emptying the insides of a ballpoint pen and filling one end with toothpaste and the other with hair gel, but my wife, Janna -- the voice of reason -- stopped me from following this plan. 'Don't do it. They'll find it and think it's a bomb and you'll just get arrested,' she said."
Longtime East Rockaway resident Vito Boccuzzi said the terrorist arrests in the U.K. last week would not change any plans he has to travel overseas. "Imagine, I was en route to India for business when 9/11 happened," he said. "I didn't believe it when I first heard." His thoughts today? "Life has to go on."
Comments about this story? MMalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
