MOLINE -- The Quad City International Airport reopened for business at noon Thursday, with the first flight arriving more than two hours later.

A 19-passenger Skyway Airline was the first plane to arrive in the Quad-Cities since the Federal Aviation Administration grounded airplanes Tuesday morning, soon after aircraft crashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.

No passengers were on board the Skyway flight from Milwaukee, nor were there any passengers on the return flight. The airlines will be ferrying aircraft to their destinations as part of the restarting process.

The process of getting commercial flights in the air after the unprecedented two-day halt will take time and try travelers' patience, industry officials said.

Aviation travel ``is different'' than it was before Tuesday, warned TWA Moline station manager Brian Hodson. ``It's going to change forever.''

A Southwest Airlines jet, one of six aircraft making unscheduled landings in the Quad-Cities Tuesday, departed Thursday afternoon. Two United Airlines jets were expected to follow soon afterwards.

United planned to begin scheduled flights Friday. AirTran Airways planned to begin limited operations Thursday afternoon in the Quad-Cities and key destinations such as Atlanta and other cities in the southeast.

TWA hoped to begin flights from the Quad-Cities Thursday afternoon after numerous delays. Northwest personnel said Thursday night they had suspended flights until further notice.

Airline officials anticipated headaches trying to accommodate ticketed passengers, TWA's Mr. Hodson said. There aren't enough seats for everyone to travel at once, meaning airlines must decide how to allocate them among passengers scheduled for today's flights and those booked on flights canceled over the last three days.

Before opening, the airport towed 147 vehicles parked within 300 feet of the terminal to parking spaces farther away. Moving the vehicles was one of the tighter security measures the Federal Aviation Administration mandated for airports nationwide to fulfill before reopening.

Those towed included all vehicles in short-term parking and two rows of the long-term parking areas. They were moved to the northeast section of the airport parking lot. Returning passengers will be given a list of the license plate numbers and the new locations of the vehicle. There will be no charge for the towing.

Four bomb technicians from the Quad City Bomb Squad completed their search of the airport parking lots, buildings and exterior of the aircraft Thursday morning without incident, said Lt. Gerry Bustos. The security search was another FAA requirement before the airport reopened.

Bomb-sniffing dogs were not available for the security search. Airport director Bruce Carter said there were no available bomb-sniffing dogs within the two-state area.

Passengers may be dropped off at the terminal's curb, but no luggage may be unloaded there, Mr. Carter said. Traffic in front of the terminal will be kept flowing with assistance from the Rock Island County sheriff's deputies, and uniformed security officers will be more visible throughout the terminal, he said.

MetroLink and Greyhound buses must now park farther from the airport building to load and unload passengers and cargo, Mr. Carter said. Some rental cars also had to move farther from the building.

Travelers should expect delays and additional hand-searches at the ticket counters and security checkpoints. Passengers are encouraged to arrive at the airport 1 1/2 to 2 hours before their scheduled departure.

Airport and airline officials expected air-travel to resume very slowly as they enact the new FAA guidelines. All airport and airline security personnel were given additional detailed training on the new security procedures, Mr. Carter said, including how to use hand-held metal detectors and perform security pat-downs.

Airport staff were given high marks for the way they handled the airport shutdown Tuesday. The Southwest Airline crew praised airport staff and local hotel personnel for the way they were treated, Mr. Carter said.

``The community shined Tuesday,'' he said. Staff writer Rita Pearson can be reached at 786-6441, ext. 270, or by e-mail at Rita@qconline.com.