NBC 7 Responds Helps You Get Through Airport Security

“Tickets?”...“Check.”

“Cellphones?”...“Check:”

“Bags?”...“Check”

“Oh, kids?”...“Check?” 

“Driver’s License?” ...“Oops...”

Traveling during the holidays can test even the most organized people. And even they are apt to forget those seemingly unforgettable items while traveling through the airport on what Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says will be the busiest holiday travel season ever.

“TSA nationwide is expecting a six percent increase in the number of travelers over last year, and last year was a record breaker for holiday season travel,” says Lorie Dankers, spokesperson for the TSA.

The peak travel day, says Dankers, will be on December 26th, the day after Christmas. That day is expected to be TSA’s busiest day on record.

To help get you through the airport quicker, NBC 7 Responds is here for some tips while traveling during the holidays such as, what can you do if you arrive at the airport without your identification.

Dankers says don’t fret...and don’t try to rush home from the airport just to grab your I.D.

“If you have something like an ATM card with your picture on it, or a Costco membership card, anything that has your name and picture. Go ahead and show that at the TSA checkpoint,” says Dankers.

“A TSA officer will do a check of publicly available databases in order to verify your identity.”

But Dankers says that doing so takes time, so patience is key.

Traveling during the holidays could pose other challenges, such as what to do with all those gifts you’ve wrapped.

Dankers says wrapped gifts are allowed in security. They are screened just like any other carry-on item. Be prepared, however, if the TSA agent asks to open the gift.

“If our TSA officer believes that there is a threat item in the bag, if they can’t tell what it is, they will unwrap it,” says Dankers.

Dankers suggests using gift bags when traveling, just in case the item gets flagged in security.

“That way there’s no unwrapping and you have your gift ready to go at your destination.” 

And, if you’re unsure if the item is allowed through security or not, then there are other options.

Log on to the TSA’s Facebook page or Twitter profile and ask them directly.

“You can even take a picture and sent it via social media and you will get a response, usually in less than a half-hour,” says Dankers.

Above all else, Dankers says, be prepared for long lines in security checkpoints until several days after Christmas.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re departing from, the country is on the move and you’ll be in the middle of that.”