Things are changing at Spokane International Airport in the way bags are checked at Concourse C. According to the Spokesman-Review, travelers on Alaska and American airlines now have to carry checked bags to a temporary baggage screening unit in the lobby of the concourse. Travelers will have to carry or roll their luggage to the screening machines after checking in for their flight and getting their bags tagged for their destination. Porters will be available to help those who need it.

The temporary screening units are expected to remain in place through June 9. The change is part of a $5.5 million upgrade of baggage handling at the airport under a funding program from the federal Transportation Security Administration aimed at improving security and baggage flow.

The internal baggage screening and staging area at Concourse C was not large enough to accommodate construction and screening operations at the same time. The job will update equipment installed in 2004 as part of the heightened security systems following the 2001 terrorist attacks. When completed, the new equipment will enhance TSA’s ability to detect explosives or other dangers.

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