One of New York’s busiest airports will be a little less stressful as United Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration have opened four new automated screening lanes that could cut Newark International Terminal C checkpoint wait times by as much as 30%.
The new lanes allow multiple passengers to load items onto conveyor belts, versus the old system where each traveler had to queue up behind the passenger in front of them. Additionally, bins are 25% larger than conventional screening lanes, so passengers can put bigger bags and more items into each.
The new automated checkpoints pull out suspicious bags for further examination, allowing other bags, and their passengers, to continue on to their gate.
Newark Airport and its airlines are looking to install a total of 17 new lanes. United and American Airlines recently started installing
similar screening units at their Chicago O’Hare Airport hubs as well.