Going through TSA may be one of the most dreaded parts of traveling through an airport. The lines, the shouting of rules (it's 2023, we know about the liquid restrictions), the questionable removal of shoes and laptops and the absolute chaos created in the name of national security. Clear and PreCheck have certainly improved the experience to a degree, but a new automated system may make entering the departures terminal a little less stressful.
The Department of Homeland Security, under which TSA lives, announced in November 2023 that self-service screening is coming to airport checkpoints. This is part of a new "Screening at Speed Program," which aims to make security screening faster and more efficient.
To launch the program, a pilot of a new self-service screening system for PreCheck passengers will begin in January 2024 at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
“Like self-ordering kiosks at fast food and sit-down restaurants, self-service screening allows passengers in the Trusted Traveler Program to complete the security screening process on their own,” said Screening at Speed Program Manager Dr. John Fortune. “Travelers will use passenger and carry-on screening systems at individual consoles or screening lanes themselves, reducing the number of pat-downs and bag inspections TSOs need to perform and freeing their time to be reallocated to the busier aspects of screening operations. The feedback we’ve already received during testing from both mock passengers and TSOs has been incredibly positive.”
After testing several prototypes over the course of many years, DHS decided to launch with a prototype not too dissimilar from the current TSA experience. Each checkpoint lane will have four stations to examine luggage and a video monitor to explain step-by-step instructions to passengers. Entry and exit doors will be automatic for passenger screening, and luggage plus personal items (like kets and cell phones) will go through an adjacent screening. Once passengers are approved, they'll be able to exit and collect their items. Of course, there will be a help button for live assistance, as needed. And if you've ever seen a supermarket customer try to scan a banana, you know that button will be in constant use.