Closure Hits At Peak Time; Bomb Squad Called In

CNN reports that officials shut down security checkpoints at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for two hours Wednesday afternoon, after a "suspicious device" was detected in a screening machine.

Passengers were evacuated from the gate areas at the nation's busiest airport, and several hundred flights were delayed, or otherwise affected, by the closure.

After two hours, gates were reopened shortly before 4:00 pm -- and everyone scrambled to catch up.

"It will take most of the evening for operations to return to normal," said Delta Air Lines spokesman John Kennedy. At least 120 Delta flights were affected; ATL is the airline's hub.

AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said that airline halted some inbound flights from nearby cities, but no flights were diverted.

"Planes will start taking off and we'll be moving people as quickly as possible," Graham-Weaver said.

Meanwhile, a line of anxious passengers reportedly stretched from the airport's baggage claim area, all the way to the main atrium in the terminal. The delay will also likely cause a "ripple effect" throughout the US domestic airline network, as well, as flight schedules across the nation are affected by the shutdown.

And that "suspicious package?" TSA spokeswoman Amy von Walter told the Associated Press a possible improvised explosive device had been detected at the airport's main checkpoint.

The gates were reopened shortly after an explosive detection unit was deployed to the scene, according to airport spokeswoman Felicia Browder.

FMI: www.tsa.gov