''We are now ready to accept commercial airliners and their passengers pending the (Federal Aviation Administration) release of the national ground stop of the airlines,'' said Kathryn Solee, the director of marketing and business development at Augusta Regional.

She said both air carriers at Augusta Regional - Delta subsidiary Atlantic Southeast Airlines and US Airways Express - would likely start some flights.

Exactly when those flights will start operating was still unknown Wednesday night, Ms. Solee said.

Flight status Passengers can check the status of their flights by calling or visiting the Web sites of their airlines. Delta Air Lines: (800) 325-1999 or www.delta.com US Airways: (800) 428-4322 or www.usairways.com

The first planes to leave likely will be four diverted aircraft that landed at Augusta Regional shortly after the FAA announced Tuesday morning that all aircraft nationwide had to be grounded because of terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

The four planes carried a total of 87 passengers, who either checked into hotels to wait for the airport to reopen or rented cars to drive home.

Federal and Augusta Regional officials said it will take time for the system to get back to normal while the federal government and intelligence agencies discuss increasing aviation security.

Once passengers return to Augusta Regional, they will find a slightly different airport.

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office deputies who guarded the airport's main entrance and searched cars Wednesday will remain for a while. And certain changes to airport security will remain indefinitely, Ms. Solee said.

Some of those changes include:

Only ticketed passengers will be allowed at the airport gates.

The airport will be accessible only through the main entrance at Tobacco Road.

The airlines will not take cargo shipments.

Passengers will have to show photo identification, and all vehicles and luggage are subject to search.

Passengers will not be allowed to bring any type of knives or cutting tools aboard planes.

Airport officials said the increased security measures mean that passengers will need to arrive at airports even earlier to catch flights.

''Especially in the first days, these new procedures are going to take time,'' Ms. Solee said.

Traffic at rental car companies increased Wednesday as passengers with canceled flights or Augusta residents stranded elsewhere turned to the highways to get home.

Joann Hafera of Pittsburgh was scheduled to fly out of Augusta on Wednesday but said she decided to rent a car once it became clear no planes were leaving.

She said she did not want Tuesday's incidents, which involved four hijacked commercial jets, to deter her from flying in the future.

''I'll still fly,'' she said, ''but now I don't know if I'll ever get on an airplane and not think about what happened.''

Reach Vicky Eckenrode at (706) 823-3227 or vicky.eckenrode@augustachronicle.com.