Select airports are now offering self-service TSA security screenings

In a potential shift in airport security protocols, passengers may soon find themselves exempt from the customary practice of presenting their identification and boarding passes to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents before boarding their flights. TSA plans to roll out state-of-the-art technology this summer in an effort to tighten security and speed up the passenger verification process.

By quickly verifying travelers’ identities and checking their flight information, the latest wave of technology seeks to reinforce the security measures already in place. The TSA is adopting these improvements with the goal of standardizing the screening procedure and providing a positive experience for all passengers.

“Identity management is the lynchpin in transportation security, and this technology verifies the authenticity of the passenger’s identification credential, that the person pictured on the credential is the same as the passenger standing at the podium,” TSA press secretary Carter Langston explained, according to AFAR.

The new self-service security screening system is covered in the following information.

The workings of self-service ID

At the Travel Document Checker podium, travelers insert their identification (or scan their passport) and are instructed to look at the screen where their photo is taken. The technology then checks the person’s flight information and the kind of screening they are eligible for (regular or TSA PreCheck) by comparing the photo on the ID with the photo of the passenger at the podium. It takes the place of having to have your ID or boarding pass checked by a TSA agent. Travelers can then proceed to the conveyor belt so that their belongings can be screened.

Because biometrics have previously been questioned due to security concerns, the TSA pointed out that travelers who would prefer not to have their photo taken can opt-out and have their ID manually validated by a TSA agent who is positioned next to the podium. A TSA official, Lorie Dankers, further clarified that “photos captured are never stored or used for any other purpose other than immediate identity verification.”

The TSA says that the new technology greatly contributes to the efficiency of security checkpoints by making it easier to detect fake documents.

“Biometric recognition capabilities will improve the performance and security of TSA operations by increasing the accuracy and reliability of passenger identity verification by TSA,” reads the official TSA website. “Biometrics can enable TSA to automate part of the current manual procedures and allow professional screening personnel to leverage their training and experience to focus more on alarms and error resolution.”

The following airports in the United States currently offer self-service security screenings:

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

• Nashville International Airport (BNA)

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)

• The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID)

• John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)

• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)

• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

• Denver International Airport (DEN)

• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

• Des Moines International Airport (DSM)

• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)

• Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT)

• Honolulu Daniel K Inouye International Airport (HNL)

• Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN)

• Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

• Miami International Airport (MIA)

• Orlando International Airport (MCO)

• Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)

• Will Rogers World Airport (OKC)

• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

• Richmond International Airport (RIC)

• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

• Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

• Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)

Only a small number of the self-service kiosks have been used, and they aren’t present at every security checkpoint at all of the aforementioned airports, claims a TSA official.

Evie Blanco is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Queens, New York. She is extremely well-versed in hip-hop music and culture and is always aware of its developments. Whether it’s the latest in pop culture, a fascinating foreign destination, a truly amazing new restaurant, or breaking news, she loves to write about it all. Evie can be reached at evieblanco@detourxp.com.