Blountville, TN-The Airlines at TRI are asking that passengers get to the Airport at least an hour in advance of their flights in order to check their baggage. The Transportation Security Administration has implemented a new screening procedure for checked bags that is designed to enhance security, but it may take longer to process the baggage. Passengers who arrive late risk missing their flights if there is not enough time to process their luggage. The new baggage screening policy goes into affect today.

Once checked in, passengers should plan to be through the security checkpoint and in the gate area at least 30 minutes prior to their flight time. "Although the security line at TRI is usually short, there are times where there is a back up due to several flights going out close to the same time or larger groups of passengers traveling together," says Melissa Thomas, TCRA marketing director. "One of the benefits of using a small airport like TRI is that the lines are usually shorter, but back-ups do happen. It's better to have to wait a few extra minutes at the gate than to miss your flight because you didn't get through security in time."

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