TSA Wants Passenger Self-Screening At Airports

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is taking the first steps towards the development of a system for passenger self-screening that they’re comparing to the self-checkout you see in supermarkets.

The TSA and the Homeland Security Department’s Science and Technology Directorate recently revealed plans to solicit a third party to develop the system. The effort is part of a larger program called Apex Screening at Speed (SaS).

“The DHS S&T Screening at Speed program pursues transformative research and development activities that support a future vision for increasing aviation security effectiveness from curb to gate while dramatically reducing wait times and improving the passenger experience,” said the notice on beta.SAM.gov. “To enable this vision, SaS, in conjunction with TSA’s Innovation Task Force, is considering the development of a passenger self-screening solution to transform the TSA’s concept of operations.”

The program will reflect on the belief that many passengers prefer an experience that they can complete independently, and at their own speed.

The goals of the program would be:

• Enable a self-sufficient experience in the passenger screening process
• Allow for passenger on-person screening and divestment of personal property (for X-ray screening) to occur in a single step, compared to the two distinct steps that exist at airports today
• Enable passengers to directly receive on-person alarm information while divesting, and allow for the passenger self-resolution of alarms through continued divestment to reduce instances where a pat-down/secondary screening procedure would be necessary
• Allow passengers to complete the screening process more quickly
• Maintain or improve the current security posture at the airport checkpoint

“A successful solution would lead to a passenger friendly, intuitive screening process while improving security, accelerating passenger throughput, reducing pat-down rates, and reducing the overall level of contact a passenger experiences with other passengers and TSOs,” officials wrote.

The program, which wouldn’t begin until quite some time in the future, would initially be targeted at those enrolled in TSA PreCheck, but could be expanded at a later time.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary