Air travel in Hawai'i returned to normal just two days after London authorities thwarted an alleged terrorist plot and airports added another layer to an already slow screening process.

For a state dependent on tourism and on airlines to deliver tourists, an abrupt change in airport procedures could spell trouble.

But the quick rebound yesterday illustrates how far Hawai'i and its visitors have come since Sept. 11, 2001. Most travelers have accepted the potential risk of flying and the need for delays. Airports, airlines and hotels were all quick to adjust and make the changes as painless as possible for tourists and local travelers.

"I think they've got a really good game plan going on," said Wayne Vea, who, along with his wife, Liane, was accompanying daughter Kristie back to school in Oregon yesterday.

Wayne Vea said a Hawaiian Airlines employee, seeing a long line at an agricultural inspection station at the Honolulu International Airport, directed the Veas to another spot with no wait. The Veas got through security with time to spare.

By yesterday, most passengers departing from Honolulu had received word that they needed to show up extra early and leave all liquids and gels out of their carryon baggage.

Hawai'i's major interisland carriers said their planes were on schedule, and the major hotels reported no cancellations.

"The traveling public is continuing with their lifestyle, and we have not seen that this is deterring people from traveling," said Marsha Wienert, state tourism liaison.

CHECK-IN SMOOTH

The Crowther family flying home to San Jose after a vacation in Waikiki was surprised at how quickly they got through security. Eric Crowther, 45, said the family of four showed up three hours prior to their flight. But going through agricultural inspection, check-in and the security checkpoint took no more than an hour.

"I thought this was going to be the longest one," Crowther said, as the family was zipping through the checkpoint line in five minutes.

His wife, Rose, said she appreciated that employees at the Resortquest Waikiki Sunset, where the family stayed, posted the information in hotel elevators and distributed fliers at the checkout counter.

Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said the lines were flowing like a typical Friday in late summer when vacationers and college students hustle back to where they need to be.

"It looks more like a normal Friday," Ishikawa said. In fact, he said as he looked around the Hawaiian Airlines side of the interisland terminal, "Usually it's much busier because people are traveling for the weekend."

Transportation officials said despite the shortening of lines, passengers should still show up three hours earlier for overseas flights and 1 1/2 hours beforehand for interisland travel. Travelers also should continue to heed the no-liquids and no-gels prohibition and pack light to minimize inspection time.

TIME FOR A BITE

Yully Yum, 62, of Chinatown, was in a panic when she arrived 90 minutes before her flight to California where she was going to visit family. "We rushed to get here; we thought we were going to be late," she said.

Instead, Yum found enough time to sit down and enjoy a late, home-packed breakfast.

Interisland carrier employees who dealt with the long lines on Thursday also said yesterday's crowd was much more typical.

Ishikawa said nearly 1,500 pounds of liquid and gel containers were confiscated in Honolulu on Thursday, two-thirds of it by midday. Yesterday, officials were collecting only about half as much, Ishikawa said.

Thursday "really was a transition day for all of us," Ishikawa said. "The news broke late Wednesday night, and I think a lot of the travelers weren't aware of the changes coming into the airport. But I think by the end of (Thursday), everybody kind of got the message."

Collected containers are being discarded. Some people have suggested the bottles go to a charity organization, but that idea was nixed because of health and hygiene reasons, Ishikawa said.

Federal and state officials decided to hold off on making a decision to employ armed Hawai'i National Guard troops at airports across the state until after the weekend, said Sydney Hayakawa, the Honolulu security director for the federal Transportation Security Administration. "It's still pending," he said.

If National Guard troops are sent to the airports, it would be to "provide a presence and security for the perimeter because of the heightened level," Hayakawa said.

NO CANCELLATIONS

None of the major hotel operators — including Outrigger Enterprises Inc., Hilton Hotels Corp. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawai'i — reported cancellations because of the heightened security yesterday.

Dara Young, public relations manager for the 3,000-room Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa, said most guests were aware of the new security rules as hotel staffers had notified them.

"It's pretty much status quo," added David Uchiyama, spokesman for Starwood, which managed 11 hotels statewide.

John Monahan, president and CEO of the Hawai'i Visitors & Convention Bureau, the state's marketing contractor to North America, said the terror threat underscores how well the industry works together in potential crises.

On Wednesday night after news of the terror plot broke, HVCB officials were e-mailing hundreds of their members about the new security restrictions on air travel, he said.

The HVCB also worked with state civil defense officials and federal airport authorities on Thursday morning to provide updates on the enhanced security requirements.

"It's really pleasing to see how quickly the industry here cooperates to get the information out," he said.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com and Rick Daysog at rdaysog@honoluluadvertiser.com.