Airport Check-in: Taking swine flu precautions; Volaris targets U.S.

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Airports take swine flu precautions

Despite the recent swine flu outbreak, it's business as usual for domestic airports that have high traffic to and from Mexico. While some airlines have canceled flights to Mexico, airport officials say major operational changes haven't been necessary, given only a small number of cases in the USA.

"At this time, all U.S. ports of entry are open and operating as normal with officers using risk-based border screening," U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. Its officers are monitoring the health of incoming travelers and taking "all appropriate precautions," including referring a person with symptoms to a quarantine station or a local health official for evaluation, it says.

Several airports are taking minor precautionary measures to prevent infection. At Los Angeles International, custodians are instructed to pay extra attention in sanitizing door knobs and handrails in restrooms. LAX has also activated an operations center, where airport and federal public health officials can work in one place to respond to any possible reports of passengers arriving with flu-like symptoms. "We've had many false alarms," spokeswoman Nancy Castles says.

San Diego International says it's also monitoring and cleaning restrooms more frequently. LAX and San Diego have placed posters in terminals to remind travelers of the importance of washing their hands and covering their mouths when coughing.

Paramedics at Phoenix Sky Harbor's fire stations have received pandemic flu briefings, and the airport is using Twitter to update travelers. Houston's Bush Intercontinental and LAX have also placed hand sanitizers in their terminals.

Miami adding direct rail to downtown

Miami International will join a small but growing number of airports that have direct metro-rail access to and from downtown. Miami-Dade Transit broke ground last week on a 4-mile extension of the region's Metrorail from the Earlington Heights station — currently the nearest stop from MIA — to a ground transportation hub that's being built next to the airport.