saeedahmed.com

The TWA Crash

thomson network; 07/18/96; rbm; for: waukesha

VISITORS TO GAMES UNDETERRED BY CRASH

By SAEED AHMED and HEATHER MORSE

ATLANTA -- Lydia Johnson got off at Hartsfield International Airport Thursday and breathed a sigh of relief.

Following the mid-air explosion of a TWA airline a day earlier, Johnson and her husband were worried about flying into Atlanta. But the Oconomowoc, Wis., residents refused to let the incident put a damper on their Olympic experience.

``Yeah, we were nervous about flying," Johnson said. "But the Olympics are so exciting that it doesn't matter."

Johnson is one of many whose excitement soared over their anxiety. None of the airline companies reported any cancellations of their flights to Atlanta. And visitors said that, although they were upset by the explosion, it wasn't enough to deter them from being part of the largest peacetime gathering in history.

``It was definitely on my mind," said Germantown, Wis. resident Darlene Cranston. "We (herself and her children) are frequent flyers and I was a little anxious."

Although aviation authorities refuse to confirm that a bomb went off aboard the flight, eyewitness accounts of the disaster point toward sabotage.

Nevertheless, travelers at Hartsfield expressed confidence that the incident didn't reflect on the security measures at the Atlanta airport.

``Atlanta (airport) has outstanding security," said Patricia Collins, a Roswell, Ga. native. "I frequently travel and I can definitely say Atlanta is way ahead of the pack."

Miguel Southwell, director of marketing and public relations for Hartsfield International Airport, said security precautions at Hartsfield -- already strict -- won't be stepped up until the Federal Aviation Administration advises it to do so.

``We are extremely confident about the security measures we currently have," Southwell said. "The security at Hartsfield could be considered higher than most particularly because of our preparation since last year."