Will this TSA checkpoint test cut wait times at American's hubs?
American Airlines is teaming up with the Transportation Security Administration in the latest effort to alleviate long wait times at airport security checkpoints. The test program could lessen wait times at several of American’s hubs.
The “joint initiative” will bring what’s being billed as “automated screening lanes” and other modifications to Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Miami.
The TSA and American predict the changes will lessen time travelers spend in security screening by about 30%. A similar effort tested at Delta’s hub in Atlanta debuted just before the Memorial Day holiday in May and has been generally well-received.
Tuesday's announcement comes as TSA, airlines and airports have grappled with ways to alleviate long airport security lines that began grabbing headlines earlier this year. Since the issue emerged, airlines say tens of thousands of their passengers have missed flights as security wait times ballooned to as long as two hours or more at some airports during peak periods.
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U.S. airlines have shelled out millions of their own dollars to speed up wait times, hiring workers to help with non-security functions at checkpoints.
Like with that effort -- as well as with Delta’s test of "innovation lanes" in Atlanta -- American says it will chip in some of its own money.
“In partnership with the TSA, American is spending nearly $5 million to launch an innovative initiative that will bring state of the art screening technology to several of our hubs,” Robert Isom, American’s chief operating officer, says in a memo explaining the project to the airline’s employees. “This is in addition to the $21 million we are already spending on nonsecurity functions at our largest airports – like bin running and queue management – which enable TSA officers to focus solely on the screening aspects of their jobs.”
Here's what passengers and employees can expect to see with the changes, which American says it hopes to implement in the fall:
+ Automated belts that draw bags into the X-ray machines, returning the bins back to queue after completion of the screening
+ Bags with a potential threat can be directed to a separate area to allow bins behind it to continue through the system uninterrupted
+ Bins that are 25% larger than the bins in regular screening lanes
+ Unique Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that are attached to each bin to allow for additional accountability of items as they transit throughout the system.
+ Cameras that capture photos of the outside of the bag, which is linked to the X-ray image of the bag’s contents
Additionally, American and TSA say they’ll deploy “computed tomography” (CT) scanners at a Phoenix TSA screening checkpoint. That will come by the end of 2016, part of a pilot program to test the technology at passenger checkpoints.
The CT scanner technology is currently only used at U.S. airports to screen checked bags. The joint statement by American and TSA say adding the CT scanner to the Phoenix checkpoint “is expected to significantly improve the throughput.”
“3D CT technology could make it possible to allow passengers to leave liquids, gels and aerosols, as well as laptops, in their carry-on bags at all times,” the joint statement adds. “This results in a quicker throughput and less bin use. If the pilot testing is successful, TSA may deploy CT technology to other checkpoints nationwide.”
“Our foremost priority is the security of the traveling public,” TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger adds in the statement. “To ensure that we remain up-to-date in an evolving threat environment, TSA continues to test and deploy state-of-the-art technologies. This collaboration with American Airlines is an important step in enhancing the traveler experience while maintaining effective security.”