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— Security screeners at Dulles International Airport are getting a better look at carry-on luggage and other items going through scanners, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Until now, TSA officers have only seen a two-dimensional view of items going through [https://www.wittsec.com/ X-ray screening equipment and inspection equipment] machines, as the agency attempts to prevent people carrying dangerous items onto airplanes. Now, Dulles is using its first computerized-tomography (CT) checkpoint scanner, which produces a three-dimensional image. "It’s almost like an MRI," said TSA Federal Security Director Scott Johnson, standing in front of the scanner at one checkpoint lane. If the officer is viewing a bottle of liquid in the machine, "The officer could move that around, and take a look almost inside that bottle," Johnson said.
Currently, Johnson said, the average passenger has to put laptops, shoes and suitcases in separate plastic bins, which travel on a movable belt through the X-ray machine. "Think of 2.5 bins that you put through the X-ray, and the amount of time it takes to review each one of those bins," said Johnson. With the new machines, passengers can put all or most of their carry-on items in a single larger plastic bin. The TSA expects to have approximately 45 3D scanners in 15 airports, Johnson said — including Dulles and BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport — by the end of the year. "And then, at the end of next fiscal year, we’ll have about 145 out, nationwide," he said. The 3D technology has already been used at Dulles, albeit in much larger machines, in the screening of checked luggage. Like WTOP on Facebook and follow @WTOP on Twitter to engage in conversation about this article and others. © 2018 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Airport security is nobody’s favorite part of the traveling lifestyle. It’s never fun to have to wait in long lines, unpack and re-pack parts of your carry-on luggage, or watch strangers take off their shoes within smelling distance of your face. We know it’s uncomfortable. We know it’s time-consuming. We also know that it’s a necessary step of the air travel process designed to keep us and our fellow passengers safe, which is why we all put up with it. The rules for these often unpleasant airport security protocols are always changing. Entire countries have even set laws about what should and should not happen in airport security lines.
For example, today’s Canadian airport security employees need to follow not just their airport’s own pat-down protocols but also the official Canadian Aviation Security Regulations and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority Act. If you want to be prepared for your next encounter with a TSA agent, you better keep your expectations up to date. What kinds of things are normal for a security agent to say when you get your body scanned? What kinds of things do you need to take out of your carry-on while you wait in line? We’ve listed the most up-to-date facts below, so you know what’s normal and what you should raise an eyebrow at.
Read on for 10 uncomfortable but realistic things to expect the next time you go through airport security - and 10 things that should never happen in the security checkpoint line. It’s not a stickup. Even something as small as a car key or bobby pin can set off their walk-through metal detector. Save yourself the drama by handing over every piece of spare change. You’ll get it back in a second. We know it’s painful to hand your phone over to a stranger. In your day to day life, this is something that you would never do. Now we’ve made it things that you SHOULD NOT experience at an airport security checkpoint.
If you’re subject to this or the following experiences, you might want to ask to speak to your security agent’s manager. If a security screening employee asks you for your passport, you have every right to get suspicious and ask about why. It is not normal for passengers to hand over their passports or ID when going through security at the airport. All the agents need is your boarding pass, and at some airports, an automated machine is placed at security checkpoints to scan boarding passes without any human interaction at all. Keep your passport to yourself until it’s time to pass through your gate.
You might just want to go with the flow and ignore the awkwardness when it comes to a security screening pat-down. You might want to think about anything besides what is actually happening at the moment when a stranger’s hands are patting down your arms and legs. It’s important to stay alert, however! You should not be pat-down by a security agent who is a different gender than you are. Government agencies like the TSA and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) insist that it is only appropriate for passengers to be pat-down by security agents of the same gender.
If you’re subject to a pat-down by an officer of a different gender, they are violating these policies. This is one of the stranger parts of security screening, but it’s still totally normal. You can expect to have your palms swabbed with a cloth or metal tool if you fly through the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told CNN. Your belt is yet another item that can set walk-through metal detectors a-beeping. If you fly often, you’ll already be familiar with hearing airport security agents asking rookie passengers to take off their belts so they can actually scan for real harmful items, not accessories.
If you’d rather not have to fiddle with your belt’s notches while holding your coat, shoes, and other various carry-on items as you approach your screening trays, it’s best just to not wear one. There’s nothing wrong with flying in casual wear! Try athleisure for some inspired travel looks that are stylish and practical at the same time. Certain cultural and ceremonial items are protected by government agencies also. If something that you wear or carry with you for meaningful cultural reasons, like a headwrap or beaded necklace, those items need to be treated like every other airplane-safe item that security agents check.
In most airports, it’s rare for them to ask passengers to remove these items - and wrong for them to confiscate these items. "If your head covering causes an alarm to sound, a physical search will be required," explains the explains CATSA. "In most cases, this will not require you to remove your head covering. Most frequent fliers know that it’s never a good idea to talk about terrible accidents or contraband substances when you’re walking through the airport. It doesn’t matter if you have no intention of actually causing trouble or flying with those substances. Security screening checkpoint agents know that it’s inappropriate to talk about those things in an airport, so if they are doing so while screening you, they are being completely unprofessional. Don’t engage with employees who are behaving this way, and whatever you do, steer clear of joining in.
Just like your phone, your laptop is a carry-on item that security screeners pay special attention to. This is something we’ve come to expect for years! "The larger the laptop, the more stuff you can hide in it," says Bob Burns on the TSA blog. Pat-downs can be cringe. Being pat-down in an airport these days should follow strict rules. Your security agent should pat you down using the backs of their hands. They should also be the same gender as you, so no men patting-down women or women-patting down men. Yes. But if your pat-down complies with these protocols, it’s also totally normal.
Most people have to take their shoes off when they go through a pre-boarding security checkpoint. Most people also do not pay for a premium pre-check program. For those who do subscribe to a premium pre-check program, the shoes-off policy does not apply. They are free to take a quick walk through airport security with their shoes firmly on their feet. Being made to remove your shoes when you’re part of a premium pre-check program is not right. 100 per year) for the luxury of keeping those on! Tell the security agent about your status and be prepared to file a complaint.
