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Midway Airport reopened late this afternoon after being shut down for three hours after Chicago police detained two people there, Department of Aviation spokeswoman Monique Bond said.

At a news conference at the City’s 911 Center, Chicago Police Supt. Terry Hillard said the two individuals were turned over to the FBI.

Chicago Aviation Commissioner Thomas Walker said the airport was closed from 1:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., delaying six flights, several of which were diverted to O’Hare International Airport. Those passengers were then taken by bus to Midway.

After the closure of Midway, police blocked street entrances to the airport’s main terminal and its garage, and no one was let into or out of the airport. A woman with a bullhorn told those outside that the airport was closed until further notice.

The shutdown occurred as O?Hare and Midway airports began to struggle back to life in the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

United Airlines, the largest carrier at O?Hare, restarted operations after 8 a.m., but on a significantly reduced flight schedule that the airline said would continue through the weekend.

A voice over the public address system at O?Hare repeatedly announced the Federal Aviation Administration would not allow any standby passengers to board planes. Only passengers holding an electronic-ticket receipt, boarding document, paper ticket or travel agency itinerary would be allowed past security checkpoints.

William Littlejohn, 44, of Denver, was ready to take an 8 a.m. United flight to Denver International Airport when it was canceled. Littlejohn got in line for a 9:30 a.m. flight as a standby, but then heard the announcement that only passengers with tickets for that flight would be permitted to board. The news meant he would have to switch to another airline to try to get rebooked.

?If they had told us earlier in the day, you would be able to plan and do what you have to do,? Littlejohn said. ?But now I have to get back to my place in line, wherever that was.?

Craig Francom, 32, of Tacoma, Wash., was waiting for a United flight to Seattle. He has been in Chicago since Saturday for a convention and was scheduled to fly out Wednesday, but was stuck in the city as he waited for departures to resume.

?I want to go home,? he said. ?I like Chicago and all, but it?s time to go.?

The main parking garage remained closed. Remote parking areas are open, and the Automated Transit System to the remote lots is operating.

Only a trickle of flights went in and out of O?Hare on Thursday, and there was no service at all at Midway Airport, even though it technically reopened.

Prior to being shut down again this afternoon, operations at Midway had resumed this morning, at levels far below normal. One of the largest carriers at that airport, Southwest Airlines, predicted about two-thirds of its fleet would be back in service.

By midday, between 250 and 300 people stood patiently for up to two hours to check in at the Southwest terminal. Some travelers said they had arrived as early as 10 a.m. for flights that weren?t departing till late afternoon.

Sara Overton, 37, of Houston, who was stuck in Chicago on a business trip, said officials were only allowing one carry-on bag per person, ?so I have to choose between my clothes and my computer.?
She chose the computer.

?I can?t imagine the computer going through baggage claim and getting thrown around,? Overton said. ?I?m sure that hasn?t changed.?

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Denise Birmingham, 39, of Clinton, N.J., was with her three children and her mother, trying to get home after visiting relatives in the Chicago area.

Surveying the long line, she said that after all that?s happened in New York and Washington this week, ?I don?t think we have anything to complain about.?

Birmingham?s mother, Bea Essig of Dumont, N.J., didn?t mind the delays caused by extraordinary security.

Police and dogs from the explosives detectives unit of the Chicago Police Department walked around, doing spot checks of luggage, and officials opened and sorted through many travelers? bags.

?They should have done this before,? Essig said. ?It?s about time.?

The new, FAA-mandated security measures also include:

  • A ban on curbside check-ins.
  • Increased passenger and baggage security screenings.
  • No knives of any size or made from any material permitted on flights.
  • Increased numbers of uniformed law enforcement and military personnel in airport areas.

    Additionally, the Illinois Air National Guard began flying patrols over Chicago from its base at O’Hare. Similar patrols were flown over 30 other cities throughout the country.

    Durbin urges new security steps

    Separately, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) today called for a federal takeover of security screening operations at the nation?s airports.

    ?Take a look at the folks who are working there,? Durbin said. ?They are nice people, but they are paid $6.50 an hour.?

    ?These are people who, on average, stay on that job for 90 days and move on,? he said. ?It is a starter position, a starter job for people who have little or no skills and perhaps a limited command of the English language. That is the front line of defense.?

    Durbin spoke during a taping of ?At Issue,? a WBBM-AM radio program to be broadcast Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. He asserted that ?all it takes is one distracted employee at $6.50 an hour or someone, frankly, who has been asked to look the other way, and you have a problem.?

    Durbin said the U.S. Transportation Department would be the appropriate agency to take over passenger screening. Currently, the airlines are responsible, and they hire private companies.

    But the notion of ?putting warm bodies behind machines? is not enough, the senator said. ?We should take this on as a governmental responsibility, federalize it, and make sure the employees meet standards that really reflect the seriousness of this job.?

    Tribune staff reporter Gary Washburn and the Associated Press contributed to this story.