No matter how seasoned of a traveler you are, we're willing to bet long security lines get under your skin. It's no surprise, then, that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) continues to work on making that experience better. On Monday, the agency announced a new partnership with Denver International Airport (DEN), where they will trial Enhanced Advanced Imaging Technology (eAIT) for passenger checkpoint security screening.
Translation: Instead of walking into a confined booth, raising their arms, and holding the position for three seconds, fliers will walk between two walls, pause, and stand straight in a "relaxed" pose. The scan will take less than a second. Put those saved seconds together and you have, well, a lot of saved time, plus the pose will be easier for those who have difficulty raising their arms above their head. Behind the scenes, TSA agents will also be able to look at three screens for more detail while travelers pass through the scanner, instead of one, reports The Colorado Sun, which will also save time. "When you’re processing over 70,000 travelers a day, seconds pick up," said Larry Nau, a TSA federal security director overseeing the agency’s Denver operations. "They make a difference.”
For now, the new scanner is just in the airport's north security checkpoint, where it will be trialed over the next three months. If the test shows that passengers are moving faster and more seamlessly through security, though, the TSA says we can expect wider implementation at airports across the country. (The scanner is similar to ones that already exist in other countries, including Germany, pictured.)
As we previously reported, the TSA isn't only working on speeding up how fast passengers walk through security screening—they're trying to ease the back-ups caused by fliers taking off their shoes and opening their bags: The agency is adding more and more computed tomography (CT) scanners for luggage, meaning passengers won't have to remove liquids from their carry-on, even if they don't have TSA Pre-Check. Hey, the less time we spend at security, the better—airport Auntie Anne's, here we come.