Salt Lake City International Airport beefs up security under alert

Mothers could still bring aboard baby formula, but only in powder form. But they shouldn't have to worry about submitting their formula to a taste test, according to Malin. Taste tests, he added, were done away with three years ago.

Malin also said he had not been given any indication as to how long the new restrictions will last.

Prescription medications were another rare exception to the no gels or liquids rule.

Mark Tramutolo, 16, was flying alone to visit his grandmother in Colorado. Everything he was bringing was in his carry-on luggage, but no gels or liquids. His grandmother had called ahead with news about the restrictions.

Women could be seen one after another throwing away several makeup-related items, which don't necessarily come cheap.

"I don't care," Elaine Mrabetz said about the cost. The new rules, she added, are here for a good reason.

Kate Werrett, 20, threw away between $30 and $40 worth of makeup.

"I'd rather be safe," said Werrett, a student at Brigham Young University who was headed to Portland. "I figure my life is more important than makeup."

John Anselmi, his wife and two young sons were moving from their home in Wyoming to Germany when they stopped to empty carry-on luggage of banned items. Anselmi, whose job in the military prompted the move, wasn't bothered by the new regulations.

"Oh, no problem at all," he said. "I want it safe — I'll give it all away if it means we're safe."

At Hill Air Force Base in Davis County, security measures and flight traffic have not changed as a result of the new restrictions on the commercial airline industry.

"At this time, Hill Air Force Base is continuing its normal security procedures and flying operations," said Marilu Trainor, public-affairs director for Ogden Air Logistics at Hill.

A Utahn caught up in the delays at British airports caused by the terror plot was complimentary of operations at the Edinburgh International Airport, where staff handed out water to passengers and games to children.

"The British really know how to handle a situation like this," said Richard Macpherson Barnes, 45, a geologist from Salt Lake City. "The staff have been nothing but polite and helpful."

Barnes' mother, Elva Barnes, was unable to reach her son on his cell phone Thursday as he traveled between Edinburgh and Heathrow airports. But she's not worried.

"He's good at taking care of himself," she said from her home in Utah. "He'll probably come back with lots of stories to tell."

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Contributing: The Associated Press

E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com