TSA Tests ID-Scanners at Airport Checkpoints
The TSA is testing a system that will check boarding passes and IDs by machine instead of relying on an officer's visual check as travelers enter the security line, according to a report from Time.
The first 30 machines cost $3.2 million and were customized for the TSA, the article says, and they were designed to recognize all forms of identification. This new addition to the security checkpoint is in an effort to spot fake documents easier and faster.
"For efficiency, it is fantastic," Domenic Bianchini, TSA director of checkpoint technology, told USA Today. "We think it's a valuable technology, and we think over time we will see the real value added."
The machines are in a testing phase, which is expected to last several months before any firm decision on a full system roll-out is released. The TSA is gauging the machines' accuracy and efficiency, starting with systems at the Washington-Dulles International Airport, which got the system last week. George Bush International in Houston starts its trial today, and San Juan in Puerto Rico will start later in April.
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