Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport isn't a big enough facility to warrant (or afford) one of the massive scanning systems, so we now have a new step in the check-in process with TSA staff checking luggage.
After checking in at the ticket counter and getting your luggage routing tag, you carry your bag down to the TSA counter (how convenient that there are empty airline ticket counters to use for this). They were opening lots of people's bags and really poking through them. I saw one inspector shake his head as he took out a wrapped gift from one suitcase. (The tips to travel with gifts not-yet-wrapped have seemed ubiquitous to me, but I guess some folks will still miss them.)
On my bag, they ran the little pads over the zippers and put them in the machine that I gather checks for explosives residue. Didn't bother opening my bag.
