TSA Preps for Busiest Summer Ever
With hundreds of millions of passengers traveling nationwide, TSA is ready to screen everything from luggage to cheese
By Natalie Fiorilli
Published May 24, 2019
Read Time: 2 mins
A record 263 million passengers will travel through U.S. airport security checkpoints this summer, an increase of 10 million from last year, according to Transportation Security Administration estimates.
“Here in Pittsburgh, I think we will see a bump as well,” said Lisa Farbstein, the TSA’s public affairs spokesperson. The agency estimates that airport security scanners at Pittsburgh International Airport will process about 17,000 passengers a day between this weekend and Labor Day.
And with all those passengers come luggage, shoes, laptops – even food.
“Food items are organic and they will trigger an alarm on an X-ray machine,” said Farbstein. “Sometimes agents will take a closer look at your food items. We’re not going to taste them, but we’re going to swab the packaging to detect any traces of explosives.”
Inside the Screening Process
After providing proper identification and boarding passes, passengers must remove their jackets and shoes and place them in a bin, along with electronic devices larger than cell phones. Additionally, travelers packing liquids in their carry-on bags must follow TSA’s “3-1-1” rule, which says that li