Flying? Arrive earlier

Arrive early.

That's the advice to travelers flying from Tampa International Airport. Officials advise arriving an hour earlier than usual - two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international trips.

By arriving early, passengers should avoid any problems resulting from a busy terminal and additional security since the Christmas Day incident when an international passenger landing at Detroit tried to ignite an explosive mixture of powder and liquid.

The Transportation Security Administration said inbound international passengers will encounter increased gate screenings, pat-downs and bag searches along with directions to remain seated at certain points of the flight. Since Christmas, those passengers have been required to remain seated an hour before their planes land.

Air Canada is limiting passengers flying from Canada to the United States to one personal carry-on item, such as a purse, computer bag, diaper bag or small backpack.

All other baggage must be checked in, with the airline temporarily waiving excess baggage charges for checked baggage.

American Airlines said passengers departing non-U.S. airports should allow an extra hour for additional screening but did not provide new guidelines for domestic flights.

The TSA gave no substantial information about measures at domestic airports, beyond saying enhancements would not be apparent to passengers.

"We don't discuss the details of security directives," TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz said Monday from Miami.

Tampa International is equipped with four whole-body scanners, one for each airside terminal, that allow TSA officers to view an image that penetrates a passenger's clothing to find concealed items. Those are used for random searches.

The man in the Detroit incident did not pass through similar equipment in Amsterdam that could have detected materials strapped to his leg.