MIA gets new 3-D explosives detection scanner that will speed up your security wait
Miami International Airport unveiled its new 3-D explosives detection scanner Tuesday. It’s designed to make flying safer — and to speed up security lines.
In one security checkpoint in MIA’s Concourse D, the new scanner has replaced the standard X-ray machine. By the end of the year, MIA should get 10 more, said MIA’s federal security director, Dan Ronan.
The new scanner, a 3-D computed tomography machine, has long been used to scan checked baggage. Unlike existing 2-dimension TSA scanners, the new scanner creates a 3-D image of the bag as it passes through the machine and allows TSA officers to see it from multiple angles. It can more accurately detect explosives and other prohibited items that may be inside carry-on bags, Ronan said.
Passengers at the security line with the scanner do not have to remove their laptops, speeding up the process for the entire line.
The new scanner at MIA is one of 22 total scanners at 18 airports across the country. TSA first rolled them out in 2017 and has been slowly setting them up at different airports over the last two years. It’s now Miami’s turn.
The scanner at MIA is currently in training mode, although passengers’ bags are passing through it. TSA officers at MIA are undergoing eight hours of training on the new scanner, and it will be fully operational on May 29.
This story was originally published May 21, 2019 at 5:11 PM.
