• Overcoats. Off. ?

• Fruitcake. Hand-carried. ?

"The holidays create some special problems for us. That's why we're asking travelers to check our Web site and help us before they arrive at the airport," said Sidney Hayakawa, head of federal security at Honolulu International Airport.

Travelers who comply with the TSA suggestions help themselves and others move through security screening faster, especially in the Christmas holiday season when more than the usual 60,000 passengers are coming and going each day in Honolulu, Hayakawa said.

"The biggest thing people can do to help is leave their Christmas presents unwrapped," he said. "If we notice something that requires inspection, we're going to take a closer look inside and that's going to take more time if the gift is wrapped."

Besides, Hayakawa said, once a present is unwrapped, it's probably not going to look as nice under the Christmas tree again, despite a screener's best intention to rewrap it.

"We're security people, not wrappers."

The recommendation applies whether the gifts are in checked baggage or hand-carried luggage, officials said.

TSA officials also are asking people to remove their overcoats as they go through a security checkpoint.

Normally, that wouldn't be a problem in Hawai'i, but with more people visiting cold-weather relatives on the Mainland during the holidays, they tend to bring along more bulky clothing, Hayakawa said. Overcoats, as well as bulky jackets, blazers and sweaters, should be taken off and placed in a plastic bin for X-ray.

And the fruitcake? Who knows what's inside, but TSA officials say they have a tendency to set off airport baggage-screening machines.

You're advised to put the fruitcake, as well as other heavy food items, in your hand-carried baggage to help keep lines moving smoothly.

Passengers can also check a new TSA Web site (see box on Page One) that tells the average and maximum waiting times at all security checkpoints in all major airports. The Web site allows passengers to check the record of any TSA checkpoint by day and time, and plan their arrival time accordingly.

A recent look at the site, for instance, found that the checkpoint at the Commuter Terminal in Honolulu at 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon had an average waiting time of about 3 minutes but a maximum time of 20. By 5 p.m., the average time was down to 1 minute and the maximum time was 4 minutes.

TSA officials caution, however, that the waiting times apply only to security lines.

Passengers should still allow extra time to find parking, go through agriculture inspection and check in with the airline. Most airlines still suggest arriving about two hours before departure time for an overseas flight.

The Honolulu airport has 17 security lanes leading to passenger gates, including five that have opened since last summer.