Now Taking Off - TSA's Airport Security Checkpoint of the Future

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) unveiled a pilot program at Washington National that will test features for the airport security checkpoint of the future, which I covered in the April 1 issue (subscribers only) of Aviation Daily.

The actual checkpoint will be installed at Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (my hometown airport) in the coming weeks.  You can see what to expect as a passenger here, complete with video.  But check out all the cool mood lighting -- it's almost like being on a Virgin America flight!

But in a nutshell, TSA is taking technologies and programs that have been successful in the past and putting them in one place, said spokesman Christopher White.  “We want to see how it all works together when you have behavior detection officers, travel document checkers, millimeter whole body imagers and advanced x-rays in one place,” he explained.  “We’ve taken all these things that are operating separately in hundreds of airports around the country and put them all together to see how they operate in one cohesive unit.”

While you stand in line, you'll be able to read profiles of the transportation security officers in your airport (see below).  The idea is to put a human face on the TSOs, and maybe make you less likely to scream at them when they are unable to change policies and regulations.

Example of a TSO profile featured while standing in line

And when you get to the end of the line, your documents will be checked at a more prefessional-looking podium, designed to process passengers in an orderly manner (see below).

Click here to listen to my 3:10 minute podcast with TSA's Christopher White on more elements of the checkpoint evolution.