In the aftermath of Tuesday’s pandemonium at Honolulu’s main airport terminal — which resulted in more than 40 flights being delayed, thousands of customers inconvenienced for hours and some minor injuries — Jenel Cline, Transportation Security Administration’s federal security director for the Pacific Region, said all involved in the incident did “exactly what they were supposed to do.”

If that’s so, there’s room for much improvement in the multi-agency response effort for handling a possible security threat.

In this case, a traveler who had just retrieved a carry-on bag from a TSA screening conveyor belt noticed it was smoking and set it on the floor. FBI investigators later determined an external battery charger had overheated, melting a foam neck pillow in the luggage.

When TSA officers attempted to clear the checkpoint area for safety’s sake, Cline said, some stanchions used to keep travelers in line toppled, making a “pop, pop, pop” sound that caused some to mistakenly think a gun was being fired. Panicked travelers scattered, with some taking cover until it became clear that the incident was a false alarm.

Similar incidents have occurred in other airports. For example, in November 2017, a lithium ion camera battery apparently caught fire and began smoking at Orlando International Airport, causing a panic that felled stanchions, raised fears of a shooting and canceled around 24 flights.

At Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, TSA, which routinely conducts emergency-focused training, responded in tandem with state sheriffs as well as a private security contractor and state Department of Transportation personnel, rightly focused on health, safety and security as top priorities.

However, responders fell short on what should be an equally important priority amid chaos: communicating to affected travelers and others ample direction on how to proceed and crucial updates.

While TSA officials and other responders fanned out to help quell the scare and guide evacuation of thousands from Terminal 2, many evacuees grew frustrated with the spotty flow of communication. Among the most glaring problems: Announcements made over a public address system could not be heard outside the terminal.

In a KHON-Channel 2 news report, state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, who was among the terminal evacuees, complained that while she waited for nearly four hours “there was no one coordinating the line, nobody was telling us what to do.” She has suggested that the Senate Transportation Committee hold a hearing to weigh what went wrong. And it should.

Unless federal policy changes, it’s likely that, although not common, there will be future incidents of smoking luggage in airports and on planes. Many electronic devices, from laptops to phone chargers, use lithium batteries, which the TSA requires all travelers to pack in carry-on bags. The main reason for this is that these batteries can pose an unpredictable fire risk, especially while in the air.

At a media briefing held Wednesday, officials acknowledged the obvious. Their communication strategy needs work. In addition, standard response to such a threat should include the immediate presence of top airport and state government officials. Why is it that, as of yet, DOT’s director, Jade Butay, and Gov. David Ige have not publicly addressed concerns?

Last summer, TSA screened more than 2.9 million travelers at the Honolulu airport, which serves a pivotal role in maintaining Hawaii’s economic engine. And this summer Hawaii is expected to set travel records, thanks to factors ranging from an increased number of flights to larger aircraft.

Local, state and federal officials must now fix attention on how to more effectively respond to possible security threats.