More travelers slow lines at Bellingham’s airport. These tips will help speed your trip
As travelers have broken pre-pandemic numbers at Bellingham International Airport, the Transportation Security Administration dealt with the busiest June on record.
“It’s very busy across the country, (at the Bellingham airport), we’re breaking those records and it’s beyond the pre-pandemic levels,” Lorie Dankers, TSA Public Affairs official, said Thursday, June 30, at the airport.
The results are longer lines and greater wait times as passengers make their way through ticket lines and security. The solution? Be early and be prepared by knowing what you can and cannot bring through security.
Dankers said each person who brings a prohibited item slows the line, as each item needs to be dealt with. Options for prohibited items include throwing them away, handing them over to the TSA or adding them to checked luggage.
Items to leave out of carry-on bags include:
▪ Liquids over 3.4 ounces.
▪ Power tools or hand tools over 7 inches.
▪ Any blades, weapons or firearms.
▪ Anything that could be used as a blunt weapon.
Items prohibited under the weapons category include baseball bats and hockey sticks. Anything that can be dangerous to flight crews or passengers are generally not allowed through security.
“If you’re sitting next to someone who’s upset, and you wouldn’t want them to have (the item), don’t bring it,” Dankers said.
A record number of firearms have been found in carry-on bags by the TSA nationally last year, an issue that is still prevalent at TSA checkpoints. Having a firearm in an unchecked bag will result in removal from the security line, an encounter with law enforcement and a fine. Firearms are still prohibited in carry-on bags even if you have a concealed carry permit.
Resources from @AskTSA are available on Facebook and Twitter with TSA agents available to advise on prohibited items.
However, some waits will have nothing to do with the possession of prohibited items. Peak hours of travel at the Bellingham airport result in large groups of passengers at once.
The busiest times are daily from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. During these peak hours, it’s important to arrive early and with plenty of time to park and make it through security.
“If you have a flight at 5 a.m., you better be here at 3:40 (a.m.) at the latest because there is already going to be a line,” Dankers said.
She said the line can become long because every passenger must go through security to fly. TSA officers will lead each passenger through the security checkpoint, with the goal of having each passenger move through general security in less than 30 minutes.
There are about 50 TSA officers working at the Bellingham airport. Officials intend to hire 14 more full and part-time officers during the summer. Before the positions are filled, the airport has bolstered its numbers by drawing on national officer resources.
TSA officers are paid an hourly rate of $19.59 with a $500 bonus once started and at one year of service.
To ease your time through security, Danker said to listen to directions from TSA officers. They will tell you what to remove and where to put your items while in the security check.
“(Travelers) have to arrive prepared and know that we’re doing everything we can to make this a smooth experience for them,” she said.
