Trains and buses are becoming more attractive travel options for Central Oregonians as the three West Coast airports that are connecting points from Redmond Portland, Seattle-Tacoma and San Francisco still are struggling to get back to full operations.

Although the airline industry is slowly bouncing back to normal flight schedules, last week’s flying freeze followed by heightened security measures have plagued carriers with cancellations and delays, causing long lines at ticket counters.

”(Passengers) understand the importance of the security, and certainly we’re doing everything we can to ensure safety,” said Steve Johnson, a spokesman for Portland International Airport. ”I don’t have passenger counts, but it’s safe to say there have been less passengers overall because of the reduced number of flights.”

Airlines serving Portland International Airport collectively plan to offer about 74 percent of their normal daily flights until the end of the week, Johnson said. That means there are about 150 fewer planes flying daily, and 6,250 fewer passengers passing through the airport. On a normal travel day, 600 planes arrive at and depart from Portland, transporting about 25,000 passengers.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport reported that its at almost 75 percent of its normal operating schedule. International flight service is also increasing, but it’s advising passengers to check schedules since a significant number of flights still are canceled.

Some airlines, including American West, Continental, Delta, TWA and US Airways, reported on Tuesday they are operating at least 75 percent of their normal schedules, while others, including American Airlines, reported their schedules are still subject to delay and cancellation. Northwest and Southwest airlines said they are operating reduced schedules as well.

For rail and bus service providers, last week’s events have meant a sharp increase in passengers who have had to rely on ground transportation to get home, as well as those now leery of flying.

Vernae Grahm, a spokeswoman for Amtrak, said business has increased 40 percent nationwide since Sept. 11, prompting the rail service to run additional trains in the Northeast and around the country.

Passengers, many of whom used their airline tickets to board while Amtrak accepted them during the air-travel crisis, have packed into long-distance trains traveling into Oregon, California and Washington at near-capacity levels.

In the Northwest, quarter trains those that operate within a specific region and make trips of less than 500 miles have remained at normal operating levels, she said.

Some of the amenities of the Cascades Route quarter train include dining and cafe cars, while many of the long-distance trains are equipped with 22-seat movie cars, ”kiddie” cars for children, and for first-class travelers, private sleeping compartments.

From Bend, the nearest train station is located in Chemult, in south-central Oregon about 70 miles south of Bend. Eugene and Portland also have stations, which are on Amtrak’s Cascades Route. Ticket prices can vary greatly, so Grahm advises travelers to call Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL, or visit www.Amtrak.com. for reservations and fares.

Another mode of commercial ground transportation buses also saw a spike in passenger numbers.Greyhound said it pressed nearly all of its 2,300 buses and 5,000 drivers into service, a big jump from its fleet of 1,800 buses that roll across America on a normal day.

”It was all hands on deck,” said Kristin Parsley, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Greyhound, the largest U.S. bus line.

By Sunday, however, passenger counts returned to the daily average of about 70,000, the company reported.

Greyhound didn’t provide specific numbers, but said passenger counts last Thursday which marked the return of limited air service after Tuesday’s terrorist attacks rose from 10 percent above normal in New York to nearly 500 percent above average in Las Vegas.

The boost for Greyhound varied greatly by location, and some routes were disrupted by the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

The busiest bus terminals were in Las Vegas and South Florida traffic was up 378 percent Thursday in Key West and 291 percent in West Palm Beach.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.