Memorial Day Weekend Is TSA's First Test Of Summer Travel Season

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The first real test of the summer travel season is underway for the Transportation Security Administration as the government agency tries to avoid long lines that have been plaguing airports across the country.

So far, travelers taking have reported security lines are moving faster than expected after weeks of costly delays at U.S. airports.

Memorial Day Weekend Extras: Traffic | Forecast | Travel Resources

Bomb-sniffing dogs are being used at busier airports to help speed up lines, TSA spokesman Mike England said. Travelers screened by dogs are not being required to remove their shoes or take laptops out of carry-on bags.

At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta -- known as the world's busiest -- all 16 lanes at the main security checkpoint were open Friday morning. Passengers were moving through in about 15 minutes compared with close to an hour in recent weeks.

At LaGuardia Airport in Queens, less than a dozen people were waiting in line Friday morning, 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported.

"It's beautiful so far; there's no lines, I'm getting through nice and easier," one traveler said.

"It's actually dead, it's kind of weird," another said.

Mike Saresky flew to Chicago from Philadelphia, where he said his wait was just 12 minutes. He says he expected much worse.

More than 2.5 million people are expected to travel by air this Memorial Day weekend.

"We are going to keep passengers moving this weekend," U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said. "But we're also going to keep them safe, that is our principle responsibility."

Airports are bracing for record crowds as more than 231 million passengers fly from June through August. That's 95,500 more flyers a day than last year, CBS2's Kris Van Cleave reported.

The seasonal surge comes as the shorthanded TSA struggles to keep its security lines moving.

"Year-to-date, more than 70,000 American Airlines customers have missed flights due to excessive wait times," American Airlines Senior Vice President Kerry Phillipovitch told Congress on Thursday, adding more than 40,000 checked bags have also missing flights because of screening delays.

"It appears TSA did not adjust its staffing model after screening protocols were changed," Phillipovitch said.

Wait times at some airports have at points surpassed two hours and there are concerns it'll get worse as travelers start taking summer vacations.

American, Delta and United airlines have vowed to spend $4 million each to hire more checkpoint workers.

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