TSA expects heaviest Super Bowl traveler volume on Feb. 6

Indianapolis International

The Transportation Security Administration is set to deal with tens of thousands more passengers travelling through Indianapolis International Airport before and after Super Bowl XLVI with additional screening lanes.

The agency said on Feb. 2 that it expects 40,000 or more additional passengers will travel through the Indianapolis airport during game week, with more than 70 additional commercial flights and 30 charter flights incoming. It said it expects arrival traffic to build the entire week before game day, but said the busiest day will be the day after the game, Feb. 6, when fans flying home will converge en masse at the airport.

To deal with the crowd overload, the agency said it will have every lane at every checkpoint at the airport fully staffed and operational and will add two extra screening lanes at each concourse entrance to speed security processing.

It also brushed aside news reports that its body scanning devices would be used at the stadium as part of the security plan for the venue. Although millimeter wave scanning machines would be used at security checkpoints at the airport, they wouldn’t be used at Lucas Oil Stadium, it said. The agency, added however, that it was working with stadium venue security and local law enforcement on some security issues.

According to TSA, Super Bowl fans may encounter TSA Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams at local transportation venues, including commercial and general aviation facilities and mass transit.  It said the teams would augment other federal, state, and local transportation and law enforcement to reduce potential terrorist risks to the traveling public.

Additionally, TSA said over 8,000 stadium vendors, parking lot attendants, shuttle bus drivers, and other transportation professionals received the agency’s First Observer training for detecting and assessing indicators and planning tactics of potential terrorist activities.

The agency also warned football fan travelers that air horns are prohibited in both  carry-on  and checked bags. It also said it would also be on the lookout for concealed alcohol flasks because of its restriction on liquids. It added that travelers can have 3.4 oz or less of liquid in a baggie per its 3-1-1 guidelines. It also warned against trying to get propane tanks on board an aircraft for obvious reaons and that fans wearing loose fitting jerseys being worn as outerwear might be asked to remove them  --  just like coats and jackets  --  at airport checkpoints.