Air Travelers Deal With Anti-Terror Restrictions

After nearly five years of heightened security at U.S. airports, American travelers seem to have adapted quickly and calmly to the new restrictions -- including a ban on most liquids and gels from carry-on luggage -- imposed Thursday after the discovery of the terror plot in London.

A survey by ABC News at five major airports just a day after the new rules found that the wait reaching security check points had returned to almost normal for domestic flights.

Saturday, anecdotal evidence indicated airport operations were even smoother, though there were bottlenecks at some airports, such as Los Angeles International and Denver, notorious for such slowdowns.

Still, there were few delays and cancellations.

At London's Heathrow, the busiest international airport in the world, there was a different story -- one of frustration for travelers and airlines. British transportation authorities have not only banned all liquids, but all carry-on baggage except for a few personal items such as passports, wallets, medicine and eyeglasses without cases, carried in clear plastic bags.

On Saturday, normally a busy day at Heathrow, the airport's management said security delays were four times as long as normal. As a result, officials said, security was unable to process everyone scheduled to fly. Airport management then asked airlines to cancel a third of their flights from already reduced schedules.

British Airways, the dominant carrier at Heathrow whose worldwide operations travel through its hub there, took the unprecedented step of criticizing the airport management for not being better prepared.

Some travelers were flocking to the Eurostar train that travels through the tunnel under the English Channel to Paris, hoping to make international connections there.

In the United States, meanwhile, the quick adaptation of American passengers may not be as remarkable as it seems.

The creation of the vast Transportation Security Administration after 9/11 has resulted in often swiftly changing, arbitrary rules and restrictions at U.S. airports that frequent travelers have had to accept.