Survey: Travelers confident in air safety

Majority would pay for additional security

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Long lines, tight security and even the occasional airport evacuations have not dimmed American travelers' view of air safety, according to a survey released Thursday.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) found that 75 percent of travelers surveyed were either extremely confident, very confident or somewhat confident that flying is safe -- up from 33 percent a month after the September 11 attacks.

An overwhelming majority of the 1,022 recent fliers surveyed said they would be willing to pay for additional security -- even more than the $10-per-ticket fee they currently pay.

"We were also surprised that nine out of 10 people said that, yes, they'd be willing to pay more," Mantill Williams of AAA said. "And almost 50 percent said they'd be willing to pay over $10 more for extra security."

CNN NewsPass VIDEO A new survey shows Americans are confident in new security measures at airports and are willing to pay more for added safety. CNN's Kathleen Koch reports (August 29) Play video

A majority of the passengers said they supported allowing pilots to carry guns in the cockpit -- with 51 percent saying it would give them more confidence. Fourteen percent said it would give them less confidence and 32 percent said it would have no impact.

"They also know that the worst-case scenario is that the pilots are attacked and are still undefensible, that then the game's over, and we'll have the same result as last September," said Duane Woerth of the Air Line Pilots' Association. "The public doesn't want that to happen."

The passengers surveyed opposed calls to push back the deadline for installing explosive detection machines to screen checked baggage.

Airport officials told Congress two weeks ago that the December 31 deadline could not be met.

Eighty-one percent of the passengers said the machines should be installed as scheduled, even if it means flight delays.

"If the people that answered that survey knew that they may be standing in lines for three or four hours long, that they might think twice about whether a deadline that was arbitrarily set is worthy of trying to meet just for that deadline's sake," said Kevin Cox, senior executive vice president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

The House of Representative has passed a bill that would extend the deadline for another year. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure next month.