TSA sets record high screenings, advances security tech amidst travel boom

ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — Have you flown lately, and have you noticed longer lines and larger crowds at the airport? Well, it’s not your imagination.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is dealing with an unprecedented rush right now. Just last week, TSA set a single-day record after the Fourth of July when 3,013,413 people were screened through security checkpoints at airports nationwide.

“Nine of the 10 busiest days in our 22-year history have happened since mid-May. That is amazing, you think 22 years and yet the top 9 of the top 10 busiest days have happened in just the last few weeks,” said Lisa Farbstein, Spokesperson for TSA.

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Automated screening lanes with a computed tomography scanner are now being phased in at BWI. The idea is to speed up the security screening process and the hope is to have the scanners at all three local airports eventually.

The CT scanners, already at Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, provide a clear 3-D image of the contents of a traveler’s carry-on bag. TSA officers can rotate the image using a touch-screen monitor to get a more complete view.

“There are four stations so you can go around the person that is a little slower. In addition, the bins, instead of being in a big stack next to the conveyor belt, they are underneath the conveyor belt. Think of it a little bit like a bowling lane where you roll the ball and then it comes underneath and back to the front,” Farbstein said.

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TSA staffs the security checkpoints to meet its wait time standards, which are 10 minutes and under in TSA PreCheck lanes and 30 minutes and under in standard screening lanes.

More than 19 million people have enrolled in TSA PreCheck. On average, 99% of TSA PreCheck-eligible travelers wait 10 minutes or less to be screened.

Airport officials at Reagan, Dulles, and BWI said the reality is that lines are going to be longer right now and it’s gonna be harder to find parking. Officials advise travelers to give themselves more time than they’ve ever planned for flying.

There are four divesting countertops per lane designed specifically to enable up to four passengers to place their items in bins simultaneously. Automated and powered conveyor rollers move bins into the X-ray machine tunnel and then feed the bins back to the front of the security checkpoint. There are Unique Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags on each bin, which provide additional accountability of a traveler’s carry-on property as they move through the security screening process. Then, cameras capture digital images of the contents of each bin and are linked side-by-side to the X-ray image of a carry-on bag’s contents to easily match a bag to its X-ray image.

All three local airports are also using Credential Authentication Technology (CAT), no boarding pass is needed. Travelers will need to present only their photo ID to the TSA officer.

Some touches of the future are being used to tackle current-day problems at the airport.