[Anderson Cooper, Cnn Anchor:] If you thought it was busy at the airport today, you were right again. More than five million people were coming home from their Thanksgiving holiday, which meant very big crowds. Even with the heavier security, there were few delays, however. CNN's Kathleen Koch has details.
[Kathleen Koch, Cnn Correspondent:] Crowds moved through the nation's airports largely oblivious to the threats some lawmakers see looming after last Thursday's missile attack in Kenya. Several Senators believe those responsible want to further harm the struggling U.S. airline industry. The lawmakers called for immediate action, including measures like perimeter patrols to keep U.S. airplanes safe.
[Sen. John Kerry , Massachusetts:] It is going to be very complicated. It's going to be expensive and there's no easy answer to it but we are way behind in the curve of trying to provide that kind of security at this point in time.
[Sen. Evan Bayh , Indiana:] This is just another burden upon the airlines and so they attack us not only physically but also economically and that's why those missiles were particularly troubling.
[Koch:] But many U.S. airports border water and have sprawling hard to protect perimeters. The Transportation Security Administration won't say what specific new defenses, if any, have been put in place since the Thursday incident.
[Robert Johnson, Trans. Security Admin:] We are on top of the issue. We wouldn't be able to discuss those specifics because of the sensitive nature of what we do every day, only to say that it is an ongoing issue for us that we address along with many others.
[Koch:] Meanwhile, more than 44,000 federal screeners faced their first major test dealing with crowds on some of the busiest travel days of the year. There were some lines in Philadelphia.
[Unidentified Female:] Not too bad, sometimes frustrating but it's understandable.
[Koch:] But in most cities, like Atlanta and Washington, D.C., waits were said to be brief, at most 15 minutes.
[Unidentified Female:] It's going wonderfully. I think everything is very organized and I feel very safe traveling to New York today. They have their act together now. I mean it seems like everything is rolling on, you know, the ball. Everything just seems routine now. Basically don't bring the things that you're not to bring. You'll be fine.
[Koch:] The next airport security challenge, screening all checked bags for explosives by the end of the year. That's such a gargantuan task that three dozen of the nation's largest airports are being given as much as an additional year to put the screening machines in place. Kathleen Koch, CNN, Reagan National Airport.