KENOVA, W.Va. — Passengers boarding flights at Huntington’s Tri-State Airport will find getting through security much easier. Officials with the Transportation Security Administration on Tuesday cut the ribbon on a second security checkpoint at the airport and doubled the screening capability.
“The second lane will enable an increase in overall passenger screening,” said TSA Spokesperson Lisa Farbstein. “This will also allow the TSA officials to use this as a stand alone TSA pre-check lane as operations allow.”
Until now, even those who had the TSA pre-check status were unable to get much benefit from the statusit at Tri-State with only a single checkpoint. Farbstein indicated the second lane would be most noticeable for boarding the lager Allegiant Air flights which have more than 200 passengers at times.
“During a busy week TSA officers are screening about 4,000 passengers here in Huntington,” Farbstein said. “These folks are from West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. We see this as a big benefit for passengers and it’s nice to see the airport upgrading whenever they can.”
In addition to the new security checkpoint a TSA pre-check enrollment pop-up center will be available at Tri-State Airport next week. Pre-Check allows for frequent travelers to get through security in a more streamlined fashion without having to remove shoes and undergo the most stringent levels of screening.