RDU INTERNATIONAL — New baggage screening regulations took effect at the country's airports on Friday.

People who are afraid delays will force them to miss their flights are showing up early, which seems to be keeping the long lines to a minimum, at least at

Raleigh-Durham International Airport

.

According to the

Federal Aviation Administration's

Aviation and Transportation Security Act, all checked luggage needs to be searched for explosives in one of four ways. Explosive detection machines, hand searches, and bomb-sniffing dogs will be used. Airports without those resources can match bags with passengers.

A bag that cannot be identified as belonging to a passenger who is on the plane will be removed.

RDU officials told WRAL that the airport will be doing bag matching and continuing random hand searches.

RDU also plans to add more bomb-sniffing dogs to help with screening.

A yellow Labrador has been on the job at the airport since November. RDU police named the dog Mighty Mony in memory of Clayton Police Lt. Monica Carey, who was killed in the line of duty in September.

Most, if not all, of the measures will take place behind the scenes.

Kossoff said that airlines have been testing the procedures for several weeks to see how smoothly they function and to eliminate delays.

Passengers said that they felt satisfied with the procedures.

"I feel a lot safer going on the plane. That's for sure. It takes a little bit more time, but it's worth the trouble," said passenger Susanna Teoli.

Airlines are telling travelers to check on the status of their flights before leaving for the airport, and to arrive at least two hours before the scheduled flight. Passengers are also urged to check

airline Web sites

for recommended arrival times, estimated wait times at check-in, identification requirements and baggage policies.