BANGOR – On his two-hour flight from Philadelphia to Bangor on Saturday morning, U.S. Rep. John Baldacci had plenty to think about.

Like most of his fellow air travelers at Bangor International Airport this weekend, the congressman had his first glimpse of the enhanced Federal Aviation Administration security restrictions sparked by Tuesday’s terrorist attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington.

And like the overwhelming majority of those at BIA, the Bangor Democrat said he welcomed the precautions – just as his House Transportation Committee planned to hold hearings later this month to determine the need for even tighter security, and assess the economic impact of the two-day grounding – the first ever in the nation’s history – of commercial air traffic.

However the federal government decides to beef up airline security over the long term, Baldacci said, Congress must strike a delicate balance between liberty and security.

“Basically, you have a situation where aircraft have been turned into bombs, and it’s a whole different world … but we cannot allow terrorism to win,” Baldacci said shortly after his USAirways flight landed in Bangor. “They want to cause chaos. They want to eliminate our freedom. But we’re going to protect our liberties while taking some common-sense safety steps aboard these aircraft.”

While the FAA already has cracked down on gate security, Congress soon will consider further safety measures, including a revival of the air marshal program, a unit of armed federal agents used to maintain order aboard in-flight aircraft.

Baldacci said Saturday that he would support funding for the armed marshals, widely used in the 1970s when hijackings to Cuba disrupted American air travel.

Use of the undercover marshals was gradually scaled back as airport security improved, and now the marshals are used mainly for international flights, specifically those considered at risk for terrorist attacks.

Resurrecting the program – and boosting airport security, in general – seemed like a good idea to Robert and Elaine Morris of San Antonio, who have been waylaid in Bangor since Tuesday’s terrorist attack prevented their flight from taking off.

“It’s a small price to pay,” said Elaine Morris, 52, of the added restrictions as the couple waved goodbye through the glass to their daughter, bound for Charlotte, N.C., on a morning flight from Bangor. “Your life’s worth more than getting through the line a little quicker.”

On a small flight out of Bangor, the lines are seldom long, but the newly mandated FAA security was clearly in place this weekend as the Morris’ daughter boarded her plane.

An armed Bangor police officer stood near the screening area, where airport security waved metal-detecting wands over each passenger and methodically used swabs to check carry-on luggage for any trace of explosives.

Even in Philadelphia, where lines stretched around the terminal, Baldacci said, passengers had few complaints.

“I’ll show them my I.D. 15 times if they want me to,” said the congressman, recounting the sentiments of one traveler at the Philadelphia airport, where the wait could reach three to four hours, he said.

While security is on the mind of the average traveler in the wake of Tuesday’s deadly hijackings, Baldacci said his committee also would explore the financial effect of those attacks on an already ailing airline industry.

Analysts have predicted losses of $4 billion to $7 billion because of a fear of flying, the shutdown in air travel over the past few days, and the delays and higher costs associated with the new airport security measures.

Several major airlines already have braced for cutbacks, with the country’s fifth-largest commercial airline, Continental Airlines, announcing Saturday a 20 percent reduction in its flight schedule and a layoff of 12,000 employees.