If you’ve noticed a difference in the security at Redmond Airport, it isn’t your imagination.

In January, Redmond Airport stopped contracting out security workers and moved the job in-house, creating better staffing and more consistent enforcement of federally mandated rules, said Zachary Bass, airport director.

This transition hasn’t included any policy or enforcement changes, Bass said, but many drivers visiting the airport have noticed more enforcement of the “no waiting” rule in the pick-up and drop-off area outside the airport terminal, especially during peak hours.

“They seem to be more strict,” said Anouk Tapper, who was at Redmond Airport on Thursday to pick up a friend who had just landed. “I’ve lived here (in Bend) for 20 years. It used to be that as long as you were in your car, it wasn’t an issue. Now, you can’t even sit there.”

Bass told The Bulletin it was always airport policy to not allow cars to wait outside of the terminal for any period of time, per Transportation Security Administration regulations.

He said what visitors are noticing is simply the increased urgency for security officers to move vehicles more efficiently because more flights and larger planes are flying through Redmond Airport.

“We’re growing exponentially,” Bass said. “We’re going to put 1.3 million passengers through this terminal this year. That causes problems that we have to address with congestion. Between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., we have 11 aircraft, so we probably have 1,200 people (moving through the airport). I’m guessing there’s probably 300 cars that come through and that is only three hours.”

Yes, there have been complaints

Bass acknowledged there have been some complaints about security officers insisting that drivers either circle the airport or park in the cellphone waiting area, but in his experience those interactions are overblown.

“Now every security individual has a body camera that’s always on, just like the police,” Bass said. “When we have these complaints, we spend a lot of time going back and looking at the footage trying to understand the interactions that took place … If there is a tense moment with an individual, we can use that as training with our officers to practice that de-escalation skill.”

During the noon-time rush Thursday, most drivers who were directed by security to the cellphone waiting area across from the airport on SE Salmon Drive didn’t feel too inconvenienced by the situation. But drivers The Bulletin spoke to noted that a security guard approached their vehicles almost immediately after they arrived at the terminal.

“I’ve certainly been one of the many people before who sits curbside and waits for someone to come by and say, ‘Hey, could you move along?’ That would often be 10 to 15 minutes whereas this was 10 seconds,” said Mike Brody, who was waiting to pick up his father.

Not everyone inconvenienced

What inconvenience there is to those picking up their loved ones has been an improvement for others. Uber driver Yoninah Roepke said she was unaware of any official changes, but she has noticed it’s been easier for pedestrians to get to her vehicle and that the ride share pick-up lines are smoother since the start of the year.

“We’re not being crowded,” Roepke said. “At the beginning of the year, there were more disgruntled fliers that I was getting feedback from and lately it’s been, ‘Everything’s great!’ That’s good feedback and I think that is working for the airport.” Bass recommends that anyone being picked up from the airport be ready and on the curb before a driver approaches the pick-up lane. While discretion on wait limits is up to the security guard on duty, it’s more likely now that drivers will be immediately redirected to park in the temporary parking area or go to the cellphone waiting area.

“If you want to come in and meet your family (or) if you want to stay for a period of time … those options are here,” Bass said. “It’s just getting our customers to understand we’re growing. There’s going to be some growing pains and again, we need to make sure that the whole traveling public is safe, secure and has the opportunity to pick up and drop off.”