But many air travelers know, both can slow down lines.

"It's worth the wait if they're doing the job right. So I don't mind the wait if that's the what it means," said Michael Reed, a visitor from Chicago.

Melendez added that, "It's a very important job and something that we're really working to get better at everyday."

A knife in a hollowed-out book at Kahului Airport in June did not make the list of dangerous and unusual items found.