HEBRON, Ky. -- Missy is a good girl who gets the job done.
She's a German shorthaired pointer and an explosive detection specialist at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. TSA canine handler Robin Burgess said Missy has an excellent nose.
"I can't even begin to tell you how far away I've seen these dogs find stuff," Burgess said. "It's amazing."
Missy will be hard at work as the TSA braces for a record number of travelers coming through security. TSA regional spokesperson Mark Howell said CVG recently saw the highest number of passengers go through the TSA checkpoint since October 2015.
"Almost 12,322 folks went through as they were returning from the Derby and from the Flying Pig Marathon," Howell said.
That's about a third more than on a typical day, according to Howell.
"We're expecting some heavy days like that throughout the summer," Howell said.
The TSA will asjust its staffing when they expect more travelers, generally between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. and between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. They're also asking travelers to help make things move efficiently.
"Before you even come to the airport, just take five minutes, do a quick sweep of your personal belongings and make sure that you don't have anything that's prohibited," Howell said. "It's really going to save yourself and everybody else a lot of time."
Something else travelers can do is visit the TSA website or download the "My TSA" app. Both have a "Can I bring my tool?" function enabling travelers to see if an item is OK to bring on and whether it can be carried on or needs to be checked.
Travelers can also tweet the TSA and send a picture of an item in question. They say they'll tweet back within a half-hour.
