Busy summer expected at AVL; bring patience, leave weapons at home

ASHEVILLE – Bring extra patience if you plan to fly out of Asheville Regional Airport this summer and leave your knives, guns, pipe wrenches, limb saws and food processor blades either in a checked bag or at home.

That's the advice given Tuesday by spokesmen for the federal Transportation Security Administration and the airport, which is on pace to break yet another record for passenger traffic this year.

Airport traffic is climbing at the same time construction of a parking garage has reduced the number of spaces available close to the terminal.

There will still be enough parking to meet demand this summer, airport spokeswoman Tina Kinsey said, but it may take longer than usual to find it and get to the terminal.

Travelers can also speed their trips by double-checking to ensure they don't have weapons or items that can be used like a weapon either on their person or in carry-on luggage, the TSA's Michael England said at a news conference at the airport.

He displayed a table full of more than 30 sharp objects and other devices that can inflict harm that TSA workers took from passengers boarding flights in Asheville over just a few days' time.

The selection was a testament to the many different shapes knives can take and, as England described things, how absentminded travelers are.

There were kitchen knives, hunting knives, knives in all-purpose tools, Swiss Army knives, knives in cases the size of a credit card, utility knives, knives hidden in lipstick cases, knives made to be hidden among keys and a switchblade or two.

That's in addition to a hammer, limb saw, box cutter – yes, a box cutter – a couple of large wrenches, and a retractable metal baton designed for use as a weapon.

Most people who try to carry such items onto a plane "have no ill intent," England said.

They carry the weapons on a daily basis and when it is time to travel, "They just simply forget, or maybe they don't travel very often."

TSA workers at Asheville Regional have also found six firearms on passengers this year, he said.

Travelers at the security checkpoint who have weapons or similar objects have the option of stowing them in their vehicles or giving them to a friend, England said, but many simply surrender them to the TSA because they are afraid of missing their flight.

The TSA either gives the weapons to be included in state surplus property sales or donates them to charity, he said.

The number of people flying via Asheville Regional set records in each of the last three years and was up 19 percent in the first quarter of this year over the same period in 2016. Projections point to a busy summer, Kinsey said.

Construction began in the fall of 2016 on a parking deck a few feet the airport terminal that will contain 1,100 parking spaces for the public and an additional 200 for rental cars when it is completed this fall.

Construction work has reduced the number of spaces available close to the terminal in the meantime. The airport added a temporary lot with continuous shuttle service in front of Fairfield Inn on the opposite side of Airport Road and is having employees park remotely so the public can use a lot directly south of the terminal.

"We do know we have enough parking," Kinsey said, but it may take longer than usual to find a space or walk from your spot in the parking lot to the terminal.

The airport advises arriving 90 minutes to two hours ahead of a flight's departure.

On Tuesday morning, only one or two spaces were empty in the section of the long-term parking lot north of the parking garage site. To the south, all but a few of those closest to the terminal were taken, but dozens were available in the lower end of the lot or in the former employee lot.

Discount carrier Allegiant Air has significantly expanded its service from Asheville Regional, and Kinsey said traditional airlines have increased the size of aircraft serving the airport or increased the frequency of flights.