Chocolate, Cheese & Airport X-Rays
The federal government is telling air travelers how to pack the bags they plan to check as it ramps up luggage screening during the holiday travel season.
James Loy, head of the Transportation Security Administration, traveled Thursday to Jacksonville, Fla., to tour the airport and announce the recommendations. Jacksonville's airport was among the first to install bomb-detection machines for baggage.
Loy said travelers should put toothbrushes and other personal belongings in plastic bags so screeners won't have to touch them. He said books should be spread out rather than stacked, and food and beverages are prohibited.
Food items, like cheese or chocolate, can be mistaken by bomb-detection machines for explosives and generate a "false positive." TSA screeners will hand-search bags that register a positive reading.
Among other recommendations and requirements:
The TSA, created after the terrorist attacks, was given a Dec. 31 deadline by Congress to implement a program to screen all checked baggage for explosives. Lawmakers extended the deadline because some large airports weren't able to add SUV-sized bomb-detection machines to their existing bag management systems in time.
Installing the machines, which were in short supply, can require months of construction to shore up floors, add space and build power stations.
Still, the TSA believes the vast majority of the nation's 429 commercial airports will be able to screen all bags by Jan. 1, though not necessarily by machine, agency spokesman Brian Turmail said.
Some will be screened by bomb-sniffing dogs, others hand-searched or checked with wands that detect explosives residue. Some airports will use a system, known as "positive bag match," where a bag won't be loaded onto a plane unless the passenger it belongs to is aboard.
David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, said bag screening will mean longer lines for some people. But, he said, the use of positive bag matching will alleviate those lines.
Steve van Beek, senior vice president of the Airports Council International-North America, an airport trade group, said he's concerned about liability for lost or stolen items.
"If something gets lost, what will the customer do?" van Beek said.
The TSA has a customer response center in Washington that people can call in case something is lost or stolen, Turmail said. The toll-free number is 866-289-9673.