Travelers, TSA aim to speed lines for Labor Day weekend getaways

After a summer that included record-breaking numbers of passengers passing through screening lines, Labor Day weekend travelers at Dulles International Airport seem intent on getting to their late summer destinations as quickly as possible.


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Friday morning, passengers flying out included young families, juggling rolling suitcases and strollers, as well as experienced single flyers, with sparkling tinsel wrapped around the handle of a black, wheeled suitcase, to make it easier to identify on a luggage carousel.

At the end of the July 4 weekend, the Transportation Security Administration set a record for the busiest day in history, on when 2,795,014 passengers and crew were screened at airports nationwide on Sunday, July 7.

The agency recommends travelers arrive at the airport two hours before a domestic flight, and three hours before an international flight, to allow time to find parking, navigate expected crowds, and get through security screening.

In offering tips to speed the process, the TSA recommends slip-on shoes, since travelers will be asked to remove their shoes before going through the checkpoint scanner.

The security agency limits the size of liquid containers in carry-on bags, and requires laptops and personal electronics larger than a cellphone to be taken out of carry-ons for separate screening.

Travelers can tweet questions about what they are allowed to bring onboard a plane to @AskTSA.

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Neal Augenstein

Neal Augenstein has been a reporter at WTOP since 1997. Through the years, Neal has covered many of the crimes and trials that have gripped the region. Neal's been pleased to receive awards over the years for hard news, feature reporting, use of sound and sports.

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