Tag: airport security

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Facial recognition will transform airport security checkpoints

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

Imagine using technology that never forgets a face, while improving airport security and shortening lines. Such technology exists and may be coming to an airport near you.

Every flyer over the past two decades knows that airport security procedures involve a lot of unpacking, screening and repacking. This is the price that must be paid for using commercial air travel.

Yet, it does not need to be this way, and the Transportation Security Administration has the right idea in testing and deploying biometrics such as facial identification technology at airport security checkpoints.

Although travelers believe that the most important task undertaken by the TSA is detecting threat items, the true role of airport security screening is ensuring that you are the person you claim to be.

The TSA has been working on moving more passengers from “unknown” to “known” status for more than a decade. The first effort in this regard was the introduction of TSA PreCheck in 2011, which gives travelers the privilege (for a fee) of accessing expedited screening lanes. This means that your shoes can stay on, your computers and electronics can stay in your carry-on bag, and light outerwear can remain in place.

The launch of facial identification technology enhances such efforts and has the potential to revolutionize the way that airport security checkpoints are designed and operated.

Facial identification technology ensures that you are who you claim to be. When presenting yourself at a checkpoint, your face becomes your entry pass, based on a repository of pictures that you have voluntarily provided in the past. These pictures are assembled from passports or visas.

Another technology the TSA has deployed to enhance identity verification is Credential Authentication Technology. This, in concert with REAL IDs, which regrettably have been delayed until 2025, as a requirement for

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You Can Put Your Driver’s License on Your iPhone. Here’s How

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

From Southwest to United, most airlines allow you to travel with a digital version of your boarding pass. And now, some states are letting residents clear airport security with a digital version of their driver’s license too. Rather than root through your bag, all you have to do is flash your Apple Wallet on your iPhone or Apple Watch.

“The addition of driver’s licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet is an important step in our vision of replacing the physical wallet with a secure and easy-to-use mobile wallet,” Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, said in a statement in 2021.

It’s not quite a universal game-changer yet: While 12 states have committed to digital IDs, only three have officially started accepting them. And while the airport you depart from might accept a license on your Apple Watch, you might not be extended the same courtesy on the return trip.

Read more: Homeland Security Postpones Deadline for Real ID at Airports

The Transportation Security Administration is already supporting the technology at select airport security checkpoints. So it’s really a question of when, not if the option will becomes standard nationwide.

Here’s what you need to know about putting your driver’s license in your Apple Wallet, including how to do it and which states recognize digital IDs. For more on travel, check out the eleven things that should be on everyone’s travel checklist and the difference between TSA PreCheck and Global Entry.

How do I add my driver’s license to my Apple Wallet?

Apple Wallet

To add a ID to your Apple Wallet, tap the “plus” button at the top of the screen.


Dan Avery/CNET

Apple built the technology to upload your ID to your Apple Wallet into iOS 15 for the iPhone. The process is

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What Is TSA PreCheck? Requirements, Benefits, More

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

Travelers often dread going through TSA security lines, but by signing up for TSA PreCheck, you can save a lot of time and hassle at airport security.

Exactly how much time can you save? We’ll put it this way: In June 2021, 97% of TSA PreCheck passengers waited less than five minutes at airport security.

Travelers with TSA PreCheck can use dedicated security lines, keep their shoes on and leave their 3-1-1 liquids and laptops in their bags. These benefits are available when flying on dozens of airlines at over 200 airports.

Here, we answer your questions: What is TSA PreCheck, how much does it cost and how can you get it for free?

TSA PreCheck is a membership program that offers dedicated airport security lines and streamlined screening at a few hundred airports across the U.S.

Upon approval, members receive a Known Traveler Number that lets the airlines know that you are eligible for TSA PreCheck benefits.

More than 80 airlines participate in TSA PreCheck to provide a smoother airport screening process. Simply add your Known Traveler Number to your flight reservations to receive a “TSA PreCheck” designation on your boarding pass and use the dedicated security lines. On some flights you may not receive TSA PreCheck benefits based on the airline you’re flying, which airport you are flying from or TSA procedures.

Children 12 and under do not need their own TSA PreCheck membership. As long as they are traveling with an adult who is a member, they can use the TSA Security lanes too.

Differences between TSA PreCheck and Global Entry

  • TSA PreCheck makes domestic travel simpler, offering dedicated airport security lanes, lower application fees and several locations where you can enroll.

  • Global Entry, on the other hand, is best for international travelers. This program includes

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TSA found record number of guns in carry-ons. Will new fine help?

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

Sheldon H. Jacobson

The Transportation Security Administration found 6,542 guns at airport security checkpoints last year, and almost 90% were loaded. The number of firearms detected at checkpoints has increased every year since 2010, with the exception of 2020, when air travel was depressed due to the pandemic. 

The TSA also has increased the maximum fine for those found trying to carry a gun through a security checkpoint, from $13,910 to $14,950.

Even so, the takeaway is that nothing will change, and that 2023 will likely report even more firearms discovered at checkpoints. 

Some people carry guns like they carry cellphones

The problem with using fines to deter firearm-carrying passengers is that the majority of people are not bringing their gun with them intentionally and don’t have malicious intent. More frequently, they simply forgot to remove it from their bag.  

There are at least 400 million guns in the United States, about 120 firearms for every 100 people. Most states allow concealed carry either with or without a permit, which means that some people carry a firearm much like they carry their cellphone. People unintentionally bringing a gun to an airport security checkpoint could just be residual leakage from more firearms in the general population and the ease at which they are obtained and carried. 

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Of course, guns can be carried by passengers in their checked luggage, unloaded, in a hard carrying case and declared at check-in.   

If the TSA is serious about people not bringing firearms to security checkpoints, what can they do? 

The Transportation Security Administration found 6,542 guns at airport security checkpoints in 2022.

TSA should get to know air travelers better

Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint is less about the weapon and more about the person. That 

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TSA’s Record Year for Firearm Detections Saw Multiple Accomplishments

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) remained vigilant to myriad threats in 2022 and reached a new record in firearm interceptions by Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) at checkpoints. Altogether, TSOs stopped 6,542 firearms at airport checkpoints last year and 88% were loaded. TSA is increasing penalties and extending the loss of TSA PreCheck eligibility for up to five years to help ensure 2023 does not surpass 2022’s record. 

The five U.S. airports with the most TSA firearm discoveries include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which topped the list with 448 firearm finds. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport came in second with 385 followed by Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport with 298; Nashville International Airport with 213 and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with 196. Orlando International Airport; Denver International Airport; Austin-Bergstrom International Airport; Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Tampa International Airport round out the Top 10. 

Some airports saw a lower total than 2021, indicating that the message not to bring guns to the checkpoint may be getting through, at least in some areas. For example, TSOs in Chicago stopped 85 handguns at Chicago O’Hare International Airport security checkpoints in 2022, and 38 at Chicago Midway International Airport, a decrease for both airports from 2021. Elsewhere, TSOs stopped 21 handguns at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport security checkpoints in 2022, a decrease from the 23 guns caught in 2021. TSOs at Kentucky airports discovered a total of 116 firearms in travelers’ carry-on luggage in 2022, a slight decrease from the 2021 total of 119. North Carolina airports discovered a total of 250 firearms in travelers’ carry-on luggage in 2022, down slightly from the total of 254 found in 2021. Despite the statewide decrease in firearms, Charlotte Douglas International and Asheville Regional airports both saw all-time highs for firearm detections at their security checkpoints

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Why paying a fee lets you skip airport security line

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

Airport security lines are almost a given when traveling.

The Sept. 11 attacks led to the creation of government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, and federal regulations tightened up security in the aftermath.

Since then, how people get through security has continued to evolve. While they have figured out how to use state-of-the-art scanners and other technology, one very visible problem has stuck around.

“Here we are, 22 some odd years later, where we’re still trying to figure out how to keep the line short,” said Jeff Price, a professor of aviation at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “We’re still trying to figure out how to keep them moving. A lot of people don’t understand that moving the lines quickly is not just a efficiency function and a passenger experience element; it’s also a security element because the more passengers I have packed into a public area waiting to go through the screening process, the more vulnerable I am to things like suicide bombers, active shooters.”

Price knows this firsthand from his past experience as an assistant security director at Denver International Airport and as a manager of a smaller regional airport. He told Scripps News there are a few distinctions within security.

Most airports rely on the TSA to administer the process. A handful, including San Francisco and Kansas City, rely on private contractors, but they all adhere to tight TSA guidelines, making them all look the same in operation.

But the lines can look very different depending on the airport and how much a person is willing to pay.

SEE MORE: Record number of guns seized by TSA: Here’s which airports fared worst

Airport security lines now have multiple, tiered options for getting through.

There’s the regular line

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Paying to skip the TSA line is tempting, but what’s the catch?

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

Airport security lines are almost a given when traveling.

The Sept. 11 attacks led to the creation of government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, and federal regulations tightened up security in the aftermath.

Since then, how people get through security has continued to evolve. While they have figured out how to use state-of-the-art scanners and other technology, one very visible problem has stuck around.

“Here we are, 22 some odd years later, where we’re still trying to figure out how to keep the line short,” said Jeff Price, a professor of aviation at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “We’re still trying to figure out how to keep them moving. A lot of people don’t understand that moving the lines quickly is not just an efficiency function and a passenger experience element; it’s also a security element because the more passengers I have packed into a public area waiting to go through the screening process, the more vulnerable I am to things like suicide bombers, active shooters.”

Price knows this firsthand from his past experience as an assistant security director at Denver International Airport and as a manager of a smaller regional airport. He told Scripps News there are a few distinctions within security.

Most airports rely on the TSA to administer the process. A handful, including San Francisco and Kansas City, rely on private contractors, but they all adhere to tight TSA guidelines, making them all look the same in operation.

But the lines can look very different depending on the airport and how much a person is willing to pay.

Airport security lines now have multiple, tiered options for getting through. 

There’s the regular line where all the rules apply, there are no extra costs and security just needs

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How to Get Through Airport Security Faster

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart
a laptop is placed into a bin at the security checkpoint at the airport to go through the scanner.
Photo credit: Monkey Business Images via Shutterstock

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What’s your biggest travel hassle? Mine’s a long, slow-moving airport security line. There’s nothing worse than waking up before dawn, getting to the airport and creeping along a never-ending TSA line. Having to unpack half of your luggage and strip off your jewelry, belt and shoes is no way to start a dream vacation.

Thankfully, there are a host of ways to zip through TSA security lines.

Here’s a look at the programs that allow you to buy your way to a shorter line, plus tips for speeding up airport trips without spending any extra cash.

@shebuystravel

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♬ Lo-fi hip hop – NAO-K

Read More: Airport Travel Outfits that are Both Cute and Comfy

TSA PreCheck

To help you get through airport security faster, the Transportation Security Administration offers US citizens and permanent residents over 13 years old its own program to streamline airport visits. If you have younger children, don’t be discouraged – kids 12 and under can enjoy all the perks of PreCheck when traveling with a parent or guardian who is a member.

The program allows members to skip long lines by entering a separate TSA queue for ID check and security. Plus, members are spared the hassle of taking off shoes, belts and light jackets as well as removing cell phones and larger electronics from their carry-on bags.

That saves tons of time at security checkpoints. In December 2022, one of the busiest months of

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Heathrow boss says TikTok wheelchair ‘travel hack’ to blame for additional airport delays: Reports

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

The chief of Heathrow Airport has blamed a popular TikTok “travel hack” for additional delays, due to passengers pretending to be disabled or injured in order to skip queues.

Speaking to LBC Radio on Monday (Jul 25), Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said there has been more demand for wheelchair support at the airport compared to pre-pandemic times.

“Some of this is because people are using the wheelchair support to try to get fast-tracked through the airport. That is absolutely the wrong thing to be doing.”

When asked if some people were abusing the rules by pretending they needed wheelchair assistance, Mr Holland-Kaye confirmed it and pointed to supposed “travel hacks” that were being recommended on TikTok. 

“Please don’t do that, we need to protect the service for the people who need it most.”

In a TikTok video posted in June, user WolfJenko said that he pretended to be injured in order to get through airport security faster.

“Faked hurting my leg to get through security faster and onto the plane back from Ibiza,” he wrote in a video caption. 

The video also showed him being pushed on a wheelchair through airport security, bypassing snaking lines of other passengers. He also said he had an entire row of seats on the flight to himself.

According to the Telegraph, the man was a 28-year-old student who had travelled from Turkey to Bristol.

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