Added airport security could deter business travelers

Searches, scans, and other time-consuming safety measures may prompt some travelers to think twice.

A Christmas Day flight scare may be giving some passengers headaches. After a passenger on a Detroit-bound flight allegedly tried to blow up the plane on Friday, authorities said they’re stepping up security but won’t give details. That means passengers may face longer lines at the airport, and less freedom while on board.

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Searches, scans, and other time-consuming safety measures may prompt some travelers to think twice.

Kevin Mitchell is Chairman of the Radnor-based Business Travel Coalition.

Mitchell: For a business traveler not knowing if it’s going to be 15 minutes or an hour or an hour and a half, really robs a business traveler of his or her productivity. So business travelers are going to look at those 2 1/2, 3 hour, 3 1/2 hour flights and say how much time – total elapsed time – is it going to take me to get there by air? And if it’s 4 hours and it takes 4 1/2 hours or 4 hours to do it by car, car is going to win in of many situations.

Mitchell says Amtrak is going also going to be a big winner.