Expanded Spokane airport security checkpoint showcased

Spokane International Airport (GEG) Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials are touting the benefits of an expanded security checkpoint designed to increase screening capacity.

The expansion will be used by travelers departing on flights from the A/B concourse. Officials noted the number of departing passengers and crew screened by TSA at GEG has steadily increased over the past few years, with TSA experiencing a 25 percent growth in the number of people screened through the security checkpoint since 2015.

The growth at GEG stems from the addition of Frontier Airlines offering service from the airport, five new nonstop destinations and Alaska Airlines scheduling larger aircraft on its service to Seattle.

TSA at GEG expects to screen more than 550,000 people through the security checkpoint during the summer months.

As a means of aiding passengers in planning their travels, TSA officials said they are advising the busiest days of the week are Thursdays and Fridays followed by Sundays and Mondays, with the busiest times at security checkpoints being 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., daily.

Tools and travel tips offered by TSA personnel include unpacking bags before you pack them; refraining from overstaffing bags; removing electronics larger than a cell phone from carry-on bags; and removing 3-1-1 bags from carry-on.