Self-service security screening? TSA tests new pilot program

The Transportation Security Administration will soon debut a part of the Screening at Speed program at Harry Reid International Airport. The system will allow some passengers to handle their own security screening in separate security lines.

Passengers at the Las Vegas airport will be the first to experience the program. The self-service checkpoint will be a part of the airport’s Innovation Checkpoint. Passengers that have already joined the TSA pre-check program will be permitted to try out the self-screening option.

One potential model for the self-screening tech from Marietta-based company Vanderlande Industries was tested and checked by TSA agents at a facility located at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Vanderlande’s model, the PAX MX2, would allow bags to be screened on a conveyer belt with instructions on a monitor, and would give passengers the ability to contact a TSO for assistance.

Testing for the self-service technology starts in January of 2024. Though testing starts in Las Vegas, there’s a chance the program could head to major airports.