After watching hijackers crash commercial airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon last week, almost half of Americans are now more hesitant to fly, according to a poll released this week by the Gallup Organization.

The poll, conducted last weekend by the Princeton, N.J-based firm, was based on telephone calls to 514 adults nationwide, 43 percent of whom said they were less willing to fly following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Fifty-six percent said they were not less frightened of air travel, and one percent had no opinion. The poll had a 4 percent margin of error.

"There are a lot of people that are worried," said University communications studies Prof. Mike Traugott, a polling expert.

Traugott said he expects travelers to begin canceling or delaying vacation plans in light of the plane hijackings. He believes a majority of respondents said their feelings were unaffected by Tuesday"s events because they yearn for a return to normal.

"There is probably some segment (of the population) who think they should keep up their schedule," he said.

Travelers "are on edge because of what occurred and the government keeps telling us this will be a hard issue to resolve, that it"ll be hard to find these people," Traugott said.

Passengers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and all other airports across the country will discover new security measures being implemented. At least for the time being, non-passengers are not allowed past security checkpoints, nor will curb-side check-in be available. Carry-on luggage will also be especially scrutinized. In addition, armed U.S. marshals will assist security personnel at terminal entrances and enforce security on many flights.

"Airports are much safer today. (But) the price you"re paying is very long lines," said Wayne County Executive Ed McNamara, who oversees Detroit Metro.

McNamara said there are discussions about moving security gates from terminal entrances to outside departure gates but that such a plan would prove difficult.

U.S. Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Grand Rapids), a member of the House Transportation Committee"s aviation subcommittee, said he is confident enough is being done to protect airline passengers.

"You can never achieve perfect security. If you have, then you"ve basically locked somebody inside a cube," Ehlers said. "I don"t think we need new legislation, it"s just the way they"ve been carrying it out that"s been the problem.

"We just have to keep flying and (confidence) will come back again. When people want to see their grandson and are faced with a 1,500-mile drive, they will fly," he said.

First-year Business graduate student Eric Schroeder said he will avoid flying only if alternate transportation is feasible.

"I"ll probably continue flying," Schroeder said. "Maybe, for example if I was going to Chicago, that"s when I"d take the train or get a ride as opposed to flying."

Charlie Corbin, manager of the STA Travel branch in the Michigan Union, said he has not noticed a decline in flight reservations but that it is too early to determine how travel will be affected.

"The big thing for me is to see if my Spring Break bookings are down," he said, adding that travelers usually don"t have much of a choice when it comes to traveling home for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

"The next time I"m going to fly is to go home for Thanksgiving," said LSA junior Tim Rooney of Newton, Mass. "I"m not really worried about it, but it"s always in the back of your head."