People take strange things on planes — that's nothing new. And the suitcase checked for a journey from New York JFK to Orlando, Florida, on Nov. 16 certainly contained some oddities. As it rolled through the X-ray machine, TSA officials could see what appeared to be bottles, wine glasses, a pair of flip flops — and a life-size outline of a cat.It turned out that the outline was life-size because the cat was a real cat: alive and, apparently, unharmed by its past few hours of being stuffed into a suitcase and flung around on its way onto the plane. A plane where, of course, it could easily have died in the hold during the flight.The officers who saw the image, and then opened the case to find the cat, were "shocked," TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein told CNN.Related video above: TSA busts gun-stuffed raw chickenDespite them dealing daily with everything from unauthorized firearms to illicit cranberry sauce, "It's rare to discover a live animal in a checked bag," she said. Luckily, the cat didn't try to run away when they opened the case.The passenger, who was traveling on Delta Air Lines, was paged to come and explain his luggage, and told TSA that "it was not his cat — it belonged to someone else in the household," said Farbstein. They suggested the cat — which was on top of the luggage, and even had its fur sticking out of the case between the zippers — had got into the case unseen.TSA did not involve animal welfare, said Farbstein.The traveler is thought to have missed his flight, but rebooked for the following day, sans cat. Meanwhile the cat — apparently called Smells — appears unbothered by his escapade, according to the New York Post, which appeared to have tracked it down.Traveling (intentionally) with your cat? Farbstein advises placing it in a pet carrier and asking for it to be screened in a private room so that when it's taken out for screening, it can't run away. A search of the cat's carry-on can then take place.And if you're not traveling with your cat, make sure it hasn't joined you for the ride.

Holiday travelers may notice that the TSA has been expanding the use of facial recognition technology. It's now at more than a dozen airports across the country.

The agency says it's evaluating the efficiency of this technology before taking it nationwide.

The technology matches your face to the ID a passenger provides at security.

The agency is also testing another system, on a more limited scale, where a person's face is their ID. The machine compares a person's face to a database of pictures the government already has. With new technology also comes new concerns.

"There's a consent aspect, there's a privacy aspect, and there's a security aspect that really needs to be considered a lot more thoughtfully before TSA moves forward with any of this," said India McKinney, director of federal affairs with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights group.

McKinney contends there are more privacy protections around the machine checking a person's ID than there are with the system that scans a traveler's face. She notes that the machine checking an ID does not have to be connected to the internet.

McKinney also says it's a mistake to assume the technology will work 100% of the time for everyone.

The TSA said it's continuing to monitor its systems to ensure there is no inherent bias. The agency adds use is voluntary.

"The question, when they say something is voluntary is, how easy is it to opt out? And we've gotten conflicting reports on exactly how easy that is," McKinney contends.

She believes it's going to be up to Congress to make sure people continue to have the ability to opt-out.

The TSA says more than 3,700 agency employees are currently out of work with a COVID-19 infection as the omicron variant spreads across the country.

According to data published on the agency's website, 3,783 workers are actively dealing with a COVID-19 infection and are "staying home to help keep the traveling public safe."

Forbes reports that those workers represent about 7% of the agency's workforce. The outlet also reports that prior to Thanksgiving, the agency had just 275 employees out sick with COVID-19.

According to the TSA, the agency's workforce at the country's largest airports are those who have been impacted the most. At the Miami International Airport, more than 800 workers are dealing with COVID-19. At New York's JFK Airport, more than 700 workers are currently dealing with COVID-19. Another 680 workers at LAX have been infected.

The increase in positive cases comes in the weeks after a busy holiday travel season, and as omicron causes record spread of the virus.

TSA workers are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a mandate passed by President Joe Biden late last year.

NEWARK, N.J. —

A security officer leapt over conveyor belt rollers and saved a 2-month-old boy who stopped breathing at a security checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, newly released video shows.

The footage, shown above, released Thursday by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, shows TSA officer Cecilia Morales springing into action to resuscitate the child Dec. 9 after his mother picked him up from a car carrier and noticed he wasn’t breathing.

Morales, an EMT who has been a TSA officer for about two months, told the agency she performed the infant version of the Heimlich maneuver, placing the baby face down on her arm and patting him on the back to get him breathing again.

It was the first time she had performed the technique on an infant, she said. A pediatric EMT arrived a short time later to give the baby oxygen. A TSA spokesperson said the agency didn't know what caused the baby to stop breathing.

"I saw the video afterward," Morales said. "It was the first time I’ve ever seen myself in action, saving a life. It was mind-blowing to watch. I felt that my training and experience just took over."

"Two months on the job and she’s literally a life-saver," Thomas Carter, the TSA’s Federal Security Director for New Jersey said in a statement. "Officer Morales’s quick reaction and actions helped ensure that this family will have a happy holiday season. Her actions were inspiring."

CHICAGO — We’ve all seen them--cellphone videos of people misbehaving on flights and being removed.

This week, Delta Airlines proposed carriers share their no-fly lists of unruly passengers. It’s an effort to protect airline employees across the industry. It comes as flight crews are left to enforce pandemic-era restrictions and bear the brunt of travelers unwilling to comply.

In January, due to the disturbing increase in violent behavior on flights, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) enacted a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who “assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members.”

“Post-pandemic travel is not the same,” said Ron Phifer, supervisory air marshal in charge of the Chicago field office for the Federal Air Marshal Service.

Phifer says FAA mandates like wearing a mask must be enforced on flights by federal law.

“We treat mask requirements very similar to those other safety requirements on board the aircraft, and that's what aircrews are trained to do,” said Phifer.

After a pandemic pause, the TSA resumed self-defense training for crew members this past summer. Taught by federal air marshals, it’s designed to teach them effective defensive measures for use onboard an aircraft or even in public spaces.

“They learn to defend themselves with hand strikes with using their feet, their legs. So, protecting their vital parts of their body,” said Phifer.

Lisa Hodo has been a flight attendant for more than 30 years and finally decided to take the class.

“Flight attendants have been the subject of attacks,” she said. “I mainly, I came so that I could protect myself as well as my passengers on the plane.”

Hodo says enforcing federal mask mandates has been a real challenge.

“Even though they have signed the agreement, that they're going to keep wearing the masks, they don't necessarily want to do it,” said Hodo.

So far this year, the FAA has documented nearly 4,500 reports of unruly passengers and close to 3,300 mask-related incidents.

Flight attendant and instructor Barbara Aievoly, another first-time self-defense trainee, says it’s important now more than ever to be prepared for a confrontation.

“No matter what's going on, everyone knows it's going to be filmed. And I don't want to be famous for, you know, having to handle an unruly passenger,” said Aievoly. “I'd like to de-escalate at first. But I also want to know the proper way to get out of a situation that I might not be able to handle.”

Penalties for unruly behavior have been upped with a fine of up to $37,000 or criminal charges. The FAA’s already initiated 169 enforcement cases this year and collected more than $1 million in fines.

Hodo says she hopes those deterrents will work.

“You just don't want to escalate it. That's the main thing," Hodo said. "You don't really want to have to move to the things that we're being taught in here.”

The Transportation Security Administration said that more than 10,000 of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

On Monday, the agency said that 10,142 federal employees have tested positive for COVID-19. 9,571 of those employees have since recovered.

TSA said there are currently 571 employees with active COVID-19 infections.

The agency also said 26 workers have died after contracting the virus.

According to the data, most employees who tested positive for COVID worked at airport security checkpoints.

The data showed that 260 TSA employees at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport contracted COVID-19, 173 at Boston Logan, 303 at Dallas/Ft. Worth, and 335 at Newark Liberty International.

According to CNN, of 65% of workers who responded to an agency-wide vaccination status survey, 72% said they are fully vaccinated.

Related video above: State Capitols step up security amid threats

Federal officials are investigating people who took part in the riot at the U.S. Capitol to determine whether they should be barred from traveling on airlines.

The assessments are one of several steps federal agencies are taking to increase security before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week. The Transportation Security Administration said Friday it will put more air marshals on some flights, and travelers will see a noticeable increase in police officers, bomb-detecting dogs and random screening at all three major airports in the Washington, D.C., area.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske said his agency is “processing hundreds of names with law enforcement agencies for a thorough risk assessment.” He said TSA was working “to ensure those who may pose a threat to our aviation sector undergo enhanced screening or are prevented from boarding an aircraft.”

Another federal official said the assessments involve people who took part in the Jan. 6 siege at the Capitol, which left five people dead and forced Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress to leave the Senate and House chambers and seek shelter for several hours.

The assessments could result in rioters being added to the federal no-fly list, the person said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that weren't made public.

The FBI said earlier this week it was considering adding Capitol rioters to the federal no-fly list but stopped short of saying that individuals were being scrutinized. The TSA vets airline manifests and notifies airlines when a ticketed passenger appears to be ineligible to fly.

Airlines and Washington-area airports also have promised tighter security after last week’s riot at the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. Each of the nation's seven largest airlines say they will temporarily prohibit passengers flying to Washington from putting guns in checked bags.

Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it will take a tougher enforcement stance toward passengers accused of interfering with or assaulting airline crew members or other passengers. That decision followed a number of incidents on planes of people refusing to wear masks, yelling at other passengers, and in a few cases harassing members of Congress at airports.

Transportation Security Administration is looking to fill over 6,000 new airport security screener positions by summer 2021.

“TSOs are a critical first-line defense in securing our nation’s commercial air transportation system,” said Melanie Harvey, acting Executive Assistant Administrator for TSA’s Security Operations in a press release. “Each day, our officers screen hundreds of thousands of airline travelers ensuring they arrive at their destinations safely. We expect to screen a higher number of travelers regularly by the summer months and will need additional officers to support our critical mission.”

The move comes as TSA looks to recruit new employees as Americans get vaccinated and return to travel by air.

TSA will look to fill the positions at approximately 430 airports nationwide.

The agency is looking for both full-time and part-time staff.

Employees' benefits include access to medical coverage, vacation, sick leave, and retirement plans.

Take a look at the wild items the TSA seized in 2020

Next time you travel, make sure to leave your dead shark at home — that is, if you don't want to make the Transportation Security Administration's list of top 10 catches of the year.

On the list of bizarre items TSA workers found during luggage inspections, a dead baby shark came in at number six, right after a live smoke grenade.

The shark was discovered by TSA agents at Syracuse Hancock International Airport in the fall, floating in a jar of liquid chemical preservative.

And it was this liquid chemical — not the shark — that TSA had a problem with.

"The chemical was deemed to be considered a hazardous material and as such, was not permitted to be carried through the checkpoint," TSA said in a release.

The no. 1 item on the list is even more surprising

Other items on the list included a slingshot, a book holding concealed knives and an assault rifle.

TSA prohibits carrying guns, knives, bludgeons, self defense devices like pepper spray — and any replicas of these items — onto planes.

Closer to the top were other commonly known non-negotiables — drugs and explosives. Marijuana stashed in a shampoo bottle came in at number four, and a handmade solar panel with explosive potential made second.

But topping the 2020 list is a less traditional TSA catch.

At number one, two TSA canine handlers at Newark Liberty International Airport "caught" each other, and married in the presence of their Explosive Detection Canines, Obelix and Proto.

"The two canines not only detect explosives but also detect love when they see it," TSA said in an Instagram post.

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In 2020, love came out on top for TSA, leaving grenades and dead sharks in the dust.

Should you need to bring a shark on a plane, though, just make sure it's swimming in water, not chemical solution, the TSA said.

And, as always, cartoon baby sharks are allowed.

The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 2 million travelers on Friday, the most travelers it has screened in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

Friday also marked the second straight day TSA screened more than 2 million travelers as Americans take to the skies on Independence Day weekend.

Earlier this week, AAA predicted that more than 47 million Americans would be traveling for the holiday weekend, projecting that about 3 million of those travelers would fly.

The increase in travel comes as many airports are still operating at less than 100% staffing levels. Last month, American Airlines cut flights in July to keep up. Delta has also announced an initiative to accelerate hiring.

TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein encouraged travelers to arrive at airports prepared to speed up wait times.

"Come to the airport prepared for security screening without prohibited items in your carry-on bag and #MaskUp," she tweeted.

HEBRON, Ky. — The Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport is holding a job fair Thursday in order to keep operations running smoothly at the airport.

RELATED: Headed to CVG? Leisure travel is driving passenger numbers toward 2019 levels

Positions with airlines, the TSA, DHL, Graeters Ice Cream and more will be featured at the fair. Part-time, full-time and temporary positions will be available.

"Anywhere from customer service and food and beverage retail, aircraft maintenance, air cargo positions, there’s even driving, operating equipment types of positions, airline support and that’s kind of what you’re getting there," Mindy Kershner, CVG's spokesperson, said. "We need those airline support jobs filled so we can keep this travel demand and passengers happy.”

Officials said if you are interested to bring your resume, expect to talk to employers about the role and be prepared to apply for positions.

The job fair runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the ValuPark Lot at 2462 Donaldson Hwy. in Hebron, Ky.

DALLAS — The airline industry’s recovery from the pandemic passed a milestone as more than 2 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Friday for the first time since early March 2020.

The Transportation Security Administration announced Saturday that 2.03 million travelers were screened at airport security checkpoints on Friday.

Airline bookings have been picking up since around February, as more Americans were vaccinated against COVID-19 and – at least within the United States – travel restrictions such as mandatory quarantines began to ease.

The airline industry’s recovery from the pandemic passed a milestone as more than 2 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Friday for the first time since early March 2020.

The Transportation Security Administration announced Saturday that 2.03 million travelers were screened at airport checkpoints on Friday. It was the first time in 15 months that the number of security screenings has surpassed 2 million in a single day.

Airline bookings have been picking up since around February, as more Americans were vaccinated against COVID-19 and – at least within the United States – travel restrictions such as mandatory quarantines began to ease.

The recovery is not complete. Friday's crowds were only 74% of the volume compared to the same day in 2019. However, the 2.03 million figure was 1.5 million more travelers than the same day last year, according to the TSA.

The 2-million mark represents quite a turnaround for the travel industry, which was hammered by the pandemic. There were days in April 2020 when fewer than 100,000 people boarded planes in the U.S., and the CEO of Boeing predicted that at least one major U.S. airline would go bankrupt.

Most of the airlines are still losing money. Southwest eked out a narrow first-quarter profit thanks to its share of $64 billion in federal pandemic relief to the industry, and others are expected to follow suit later this year.

The fear of large-scale furloughs has lifted. United Airlines, which lost $7 billion and threatened to furlough 13,000 workers last fall, told employees this week that their jobs are secure even when the federal money runs out in October.

That's because airlines like United are upbeat about salvaging the peak summer vacation season. International travel and business trips are still deeply depressed, but domestic leisure travel is roughly back to pre-pandemic levels, airline officials say.

The airlines are recalling employees from voluntary leave and planning to hire small numbers of pilots and other workers later this year.

Hotel operators say they too have seen bookings improve as vaccination rates rise.

Mike Gathright, a senior vice president at Hilton, said the company's hotels were 93% full over the Memorial Day weekend. He said the company is "very optimistic" about leisure travel over the summer and a pickup in business travel this fall.

"The vaccine distribution, the relaxed travel restrictions, consumer confidence — all of that is driving occupancy and improvement in our business," Gathright said.

Prior to the pandemic, TSA screened on average 2 million to 2.5 million travelers per day. The lowest screening volume during the pandemic was on April 13, 2020, when just 87,534 individuals were screened at airport security checkpoints.

By the middle of last month, TSA's average daily volume for screenings was approximately 65% of pre-pandemic levels.

As the summer travel season approaches, TSA is advising passengers to arrive at the airport with sufficient time to accommodate increased screening time as traveler volumes are expected to approach and in some cases exceed pre-pandemic levels at certain airports.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened fewer passengers Monday than it had in the past 10 years, a spokesperson says.

According to TSA public affairs spokesperson Lisa Farbstein, department officers screened 154,080 people at checkpoints across the country on Monday. On the same date in 2019, TSA screened 2.3 million people.

The numbers highlight just how badly the coronavirus pandemic has crippled the airline industry. Three of the U.S.' largest airliners —

American,

Delta

and

United

— have seen significant reductions in their stock prices. United has seen nearly a 50 percent drop in its stock price in the past month, and American Airlines has lost nearly 30 percent.

All three airlines have said they are cutting back on staffing due to the crisis.

Delta

said Sunday that more than 20,000 employees have volunteered to take short-term unpaid leaves of absences.

The CARES Act — the coronavirus stimulus package signed into law by President Donald Trump on Friday — allocates up to $58 billion in financial relief for airlines. On Monday,

Reuters

reported that American Airlines would seek up to $12 billion in federal funding, including $6 billion in payroll grants and $6 billion in loans. American has more employees than any other U.S. airlines.