KAHULUI >> Outbound passengers during the peak departure window Thursday at Kahului Airport appeared to move more smoothly through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints after a series of changes to screening procedures that include the opening of additional lanes and installation of advanced screening technology.

Perhaps the most visible enhancements at Hawaii’s second-busiest airport are the four new passenger-screening canine teams deployed to sniff out explosives in carry-on bags. Dogs were last used at the Maui airport in 2017, when they were pulled out as part of a national TSA restructuring, according to Scot Thaxton, TSA’s acting federal security director for the Pacific islands.

The handler-canine teams underwent more than 16 weeks of intensive training at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio before reporting for duty at Kahului Airport.

Officials with TSA and the state Department of Transportation held a news conference at the airport to announce “significant changes” in screening and security that went into effect Thursday, acknowledging that the high volume of air traffic in recent months created challenges in moving travelers through the checkpoints in a timely manner.

During the busy summer season, as many as 14,000 passengers — visitors and residents — were departing daily, according to DOT. Lines sometimes snaked outside the terminal and onto airport sidewalks that offered no protection from the sun.

TSA said the busiest times at the Kahului security checkpoints are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m., and the busiest days are Thursday through Monday.

“Hawaii is a premier destination for tourists from around the world, and as we all know they converge on this airport when it’s time to return home,” Thaxton said. “Combined with travelers from the local communities on Maui, TSA is screening more travelers at this airport than it did prior to (the pandemic). … With sustained travel volumes becoming the norm and no indication this trend will end, we worked very closely with DOT to come up with solutions.”

Nationally, TSA is experiencing 89% of pre-pandemic volumes at airports, while at Kahului it’s currently 101%.

Marvin Moniz, airport district manager on Maui, said “it was quite a ride for the last few months, processing thousands of passengers a day.”

He credited the two agencies and other partners for working quickly to obtain the needed materials and equipment to implement the new measures.

“We’ve seen a good increase in flight schedules, we’ve seen larger aircraft coming in with more volume, so we had to come up with ways … to reduce some of the wait times for passengers and (improve) the customer service experience here at the airport,” Moniz said.

Hawaii resident Casey Vanderlaan, who was in line for a security check before embarking on a trip to Turkey via Seattle, said she had noticed the difference already.

“It looks really long but it’s not as bad as it looks,” she said. “It used to be out to the street. It moves.”

Officials said that perhaps the most significant change is a new dedicated TSA PreCheck station, known as Checkpoint 2, located closer to the airport’s baggage claim area. Previously, security lines for standard and PreCheck passengers shared the same space, now referred to as Checkpoint 1. Moving PreCheck to a separate area of the airport means seven lanes are now available for standard passengers.

Also new at Kahului Airport are two computed tomography scanners to screen carry-on luggage. The devices, already in use at the Honolulu, Lihue, Kona and Hilo airports, generate 3D images of the contents of carry-on bags. Providing screening officers with a better view of a bag’s contents should result in fewer physical bag checks that can hold up processing, TSA said.

Perhaps of more interest to travelers is that they no longer have to remove food or larger electronic devices from their carry-ons — but their shoes still have to come off, at least at the standard checkpoints.

Further enhancing security are four new credential authentication technology units that are programmed to confirm the validity of a traveler’s photo identification and flight information in real time by matching the personal information from their photo ID against the Secure Flight database.

Since the database contains the names and flight details for people ticketed to travel in the next 24 hours, passengers don’t need to present a boarding pass at the checkpoints, according to TSA.

And on those occasions when the lines do stretch out onto the sidewalk, travelers will at least be able to stand under the shade of a 200-foot-long tent, well-anchored to withstand Maui’s blustery tradewinds, that was installed in August by DOT and its airline partners. A temporary 120-foot-long rental tent provided by the county Mayor’s Office offers further shelter.

Moniz said DOT is in the design phase for a new security screening checkpoint at the south end of the ticket lobby that will house five more TSA screening lanes, enclose the existing security checkpoint and provide air conditioning. Construction is slated to start in late 2024, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2026.

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TSA travel tips

>> While standing in a checkpoint line, remove items from pockets such as wallets, keys, lip balm, tissues and cellphones and place them into carry-on bags instead of putting the items directly into bins.

>> Have photo ID in hand prior to approaching the travel document checking podium.

>> Enroll in the TSA PreCheck expedited screening program. The Maui enrollment center is located at 210 Imi Kala St., Suite 35, Wailuku. Find other locations at tsa.gov.

>> Download the free myTSA app to find out what can and cannot go in a carry-on bag.

>> Travelers or families of passengers with disabilities and/or medical conditions can call the TSA Cares helpline toll free at 855-787-2227 at least 72 hours prior to flying with questions about screening policies and procedures, and to arrange for assistance at checkpoints.

>> While sociable, passenger-screening canines are working dogs and should not be petted or fed by anyone except their handlers.

Source: Transportation Security Administration