Oct. 29, 2004
OREGON LIVE
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Three concourses at Portland International Airport were evacuated Thursday morning after a minor security breach, authorities said.
Steve Johnson, the spokesman for the Port of Portland, said planes at the airport were grounded for about an hour before the concourses reopened at about 7:20 a.m.
The breach was triggered when three men were going through security checks with a bag that needed extra screening, Johnson said. But instead, the three just kept walking, he said.
Transportation Security Administration officials then followed the three into the concourses, where they were detained and questioned, Johnson said; the bag was checked and nothing out-of-the-ordinary was found.
"There was no worrisome intent on their part," Johnson said, of the three men. "But once they go out of site, the procedure is to sweep the concourses."
By 7:30 a.m., travelers were being re-checked by security and sent to reboard their planes, Johnson said.
The major airlines leaving out of the affected concourses were Alaska Air, Southwest Airlines and Horizon Air, Johnson said.
"It shouldn't affect us too much," said Joe Hodas, a spokesman for Denver-based Frontier Airlines. "We are going to be a little bit delayed on our flight coming in to Denver from Portland, which was supposed to leave at 6:30 this morning. We should be back on schedule by early this afternoon.
Hodas said everyone already on board the 6:30 a.m. flight was asked to deplane.
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