TSA Adds Automated Screening Lanes To Four Airports
by Daniel McCarthy /Photo: U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is rolling out automated screening lanes designed to speed up security lines by 30% at four U.S. airports by the end of 2016.
Developed in partnership with American Airlines, the lanes will debut at Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles International and Miami International.
The system includes a number of new innovations to relieve pressure from both travelers and Congress, including:
- Larger property bins that hold 25% more.
- Automated belts that draw bags into the X-ray machines, so passengers do not have to wait for their bags to enter the scanners.
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags on the bins that allow TSA officers to track them as they pass through the system.
- Cameras that link a photo of each bag to an X-ray image of its contents.
- A separate area for problem bags, allowing other bags to pass through the system without delay.
Last month, Delta invested nearly $1 million in a similar project at Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport. Delta’s pilot system included the return system for property bins that will be installed at American’s hubs.
The TSA and American have also partnered to deploy “computed tomography” (CT) scanners at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport by the end of 2016. CT technology, currently used only to scan checked bags, could make it possible for fliers to leave liquids, gels, aerosols and laptops in their carry-on bags, drastically speeding up the security process.