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THURSDAY'S LAST WORD

Editor's note: This is how Brian ended Thursday's broadcast from London. I've included the transcript here in case you missed it.

After signing off the air Wednesday night, I boarded a commercial jetliner with my family for a flight across the Atlantic. We arrived in another country -- and we arrived in a new era. In the time it took to cross the ocean, times... had changed. Flying with liquids is no longer allowed, because, however perverse a notion this is: someone has figured out a new way to take down a commercial jetliner. 

After saving up their money for months, Americans got on jetliners today to head off on summer vacation with their children. Some were told it would mean going without milk, juice, water, even possibly baby formula... or a way to entertain a two-year-old. Some waited all DAY for the privilege of flying on commercial jetliners even after learning they are still savory and sought-after flying targets.

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AS I WAS SAYING...

I boarded an aircraft last night for a flight across the Atlantic and a summer vacation with my family. I arrived this morning in another era entirely. Today's news has already had a staggering effect on air travel. As a writer to our blog put it today, "flying naked without luggage" may not be enough to solve this problem. I do know from our perspective here in London, and from conversations with Americans today, that this has increased the already-palpable sense of sadness and unease about our world, the dangers that surround us, and the challenges we will leave to our children. Some people I know are dealing with what can only be called dread.

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ORANGE ALERT AT O'HARE

Along Chicago's Kennedy Expressway, still miles from O'Hare Airport, signs that usually warn of traffic accidents and weather delays are now flashing unlikely advisories about hair gel and lotion. And it's impossible to miss the "Orange Alert" sign in red letters at the airport's entrance.

O'Hare is always busy, but the fog blanketing the city was, or course, just part of the reason for the delays. Two hours was not uncommon. By mid-afternoon, the large bins set out near security checkpoints for as-of-today not allowed water bottles and lip gloss were no longer overflowing, as they had been earlier. Alert travelers packed those in their checked luggage. Bags awaiting screening by the TSA often outnumbered passengers.

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Calm frustration in Atlanta

At the world's busiest airport for passengers, Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, the morning rush was a mess, with delays stretching beyond two hours. But things quickly improved, as word spread about what could and could not be taken beyond the security checkpoint.

We have seen minimal flight delays, and people seem to be taking all of this largely in stride. Two women we encountered literally spent five minutes pulling one container after another of sunscreen, hand sanitizer, hair gel, perfume, contact lens bottles, shampoos, conditioners out of their bags -- all of which they tossed in the garbage -- smiling as they went along. I asked them how much money they were tossing away. "25 to 30 bucks!"

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The view from the nation's capital

Here in Washington, D.C., tens of thousands of people showed up at Reagan National Airport this morning... many in flip flops and summer-wear, preparing for a plane ride to a much-anticipated summer vacation... only to be met by some of the longest security lines since 9/11.

TSA officers and agents made their way through the security lines, passing out flyers advising passengers of the new rules. No liquids means no Starbucks, no sodas, no toothpaste, hair gel, shampoo, even suntan lotion.

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'Very good reason' to believe it's al-Qaida

Officials have still not confirmed how a terror plot targeting nine trans-Atlantic planes was uncovered, but have said they were watching the suspects for “months.”

The plot, uncovered in Britain, called for multiple plotters onboard multiple flights, each carrying a component of bombs that would then be assembled in flight.

A counter-terrorism official knowledgable about the details of the terrorist plot tells NBC News that:

- Indeed the plot "could have been carried out in the next few days.

- There were two arrests in Pakistan in the past few days that were related to the British plot, but no details have been made available.

- All 21 suspects arrested were British nationals, and nearly all, if not all, were of Pakistani heritage. 

- British officials have known of the plot for "months, but less than six months." 

- As the plotting "accelerated in recent weeks, so did the U.S. and U.K. interest."

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ALL ABOARD!

SOMEWHERE NORTH OF WASHINGTON'S UNION STATION -- If airports are the poster child of U.S. transportation security efforts today, train stations are the stepchild. At least to the average human eye, there's almost no sign of stepped-up security within one of the nation's busiest and most recognized depots, Washington's elegant Union Station.

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Early Nightly is up

Brian anchors the broadcast tonight from London and the focus will obviously be on the thwarted terrorist plot. While he gets in position, Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory stepped in to record today's 'Early Nightly.' Click the link to the right (below the advertisement) to hear how he heard about the breaking news and what's planned for tonight's broadcast.

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Understanding at Heathrow

One of the things that we are discovering here at Heathrow Airport is that people are now being informed that there is going to be a new norm when you go to the airport. We thought that was already the case after 9/11, but today marks the beginning of another new reality people are going to have to get accustomed to when traveling. 

Here at Heathrow Airport, Europe’s largest airport, passengers are being told that they can only carry things on-board that can be seen through a see-through plastic bag. That means just the essentials like travel documents, passports, tickets. That does not include cell phones, laptops, or any electronic equipment at all.

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Lucky aboard United

After covering the Senate primary in Hartford, Conn., with correspondent Chip Reid, I was expecting an uneventful flight from Bradley International Airport. But when I turned on the "Today" show this morning, I immediately knew my departure would be an eventful one. Word of the expected airport delays traveled fast as thousands of travelers like me attempted to get to the airport earlier than normal.

Almost everyone I encountered en route to the airport knew about what happened in London and was spreading the word on the impact it would have here in the states. When I checked out of the hotel, the woman behind the counter asked me, "You've seen the news this morning, haven't you?" When I got on the bus that takes you from the car rental to the airport, the driver informed me that the expected time to get through security was between 60-90 minutes. (That was bad news for me since I was already running a tad behind with an expected ETA at the airport just barely an hour before my flight.)

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