United States airport security is gradually getting simply a bit much better

With long lines, full-body X-ray devices and stressed out guests, airport security can be the outright worst. Busy vacation durations, like the days prior to Thanksgiving, can make the procedure even slower, particularly when you’re stuck behind that man who can’t discover his laptop computer in a massive bag

No security isn’t a choice, obviously, however an enhanced TSA checkpoint style is gradually coming to more United States airports Long typical in Europe and somewhere else abroad, it might assist you get to the airport bar quicker– as long as you understand what to do.

The upgraded checkpoints, which reached San Francisco International Airport (SFO) today, eliminate 2 huge security traffic jams that have actually afflicted leaflets given that prior to we began eliminating our shoes. Here’s how they work.

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Instead of having to wait for the person in front of you to sort their belongings and shove their bin into the scanner, the new design has multiple loading stations (typically, three to five) where people can unpack at their own pace without holding up the line. After each person loads their bin, they place it on the conveyor belt and go on their way, even as that one guy still looks for his laptop.

The TSA calls them “Automated Security Lanes” though that name is a bit of a misnomer. TSA agents still watch over you, but the lanes do automate the return of empty bins to waiting travelers. 

Now, instead of a TSA employee needing to wheel a cart of empty bins to the front of the queue, bins are automatically returned on a second conveyor belt beneath the scanner. Passengers who need an empty bin can continually grab one from below their loading station, almost like a Pez dispenser.

Also automated is how bags are pulled aside for inspection. When the scanner identifies such a bag, it will be routed onto a separate belt away from other passengers. RFID tags tell scanners where each bin is in the system and the contents of each bin are both scanned and photographed.

If everyone passing through is familiar with the design, security lines can run faster. I loved using automated lanes at Heathrow Airport when I lived in London, so I eagerly welcome them here. 

But while watching passengers use the lanes during a demonstration at SFO Wednesday, it was clear that the design can trip up first-timers. Some passengers hesitated to step up to open loading stations and TSA staff were constantly clearing empty bins and stacking them in the return slot. (TSA has a helpful how-to video.)

Growing pains aside, the automated bins are long overdue here and I hope they land at more airpots as quickly as possible. SFO is the sixteenth US airport to install them so far. Airports with the system include Chicago O’Hare, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Newark and Seattle. 

One catch for now is that the lanes may only be available at certain terminals. It all depends on who pays for them. At SFO, two lanes are open in Terminal 3, where United Airlines operates domestic flights. United and the airport split the installation cost.