HOUSTON — Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz joined Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Deputy Administrator Huban A. Gowadia in a ceremony announcing new checkpoint technology at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The automated screening lanes incorporate enhanced capabilities at the airport security checkpoint while improving the passenger experience.
Passengers departing from IAH can expect to see four automated screening lanes at the TSA security checkpoint in Terminal D.
“We have invested in a design that helps to make us safer while helping to move passengers through the security line more seamlessly,” Diaz said. “Our partnership with TSA is a perfect example of how collaboration between aviation partners benefits and protects passengers,”
“TSA is deploying state-of-the-art technologies to ensure that we continue to focus on protecting passengers who travel out of George Bush Intercontinental Airport,” Gowadia said. “These lanes enhance overall security effectiveness by using technology to better track passenger property throughout the screening process. They also increase both operational efficiency and the passenger experience by automating some of the functions that were previously done manually.”
The automated screening lanes are designed to enhance the security process, and passengers will immediately notice the following:
Passengers now have their own area to divest personal items for placement in bins, which allows them to move at their own pace. Conveyor belts automatically return bins to the front of the divesting area for passengers, which allows TSA officers to remain focused on detecting threats rather than moving bins to the front of the queue.
A second conveyor belt automatically separates items that pass inspection from those that require a secondary check.
These features also will help increase flow of passengers through the security checkpoint.
The cost of the security lane system, designed and manufactured by Scarabee Inc., is $3.9 million. While there are more than 100 automated screening lanes operating across the nation, this is the first of its kind deployed in the U.S.
In the coming months, TSA, the Houston Airport System and its aviation partners are planning to install more automated screening lanes in other terminals at IAH.
