The Transportation Security Administration and Delta Air Lines jointly launched new automated security screening lanes in Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) today, introducing state-of-the-art checkpoint technology to one of the busiest airports in the country. The automated screening lanes incorporate technology that enhances security effectiveness while decreasing the time customers spend in security screening.

TSA and Delta Air Lines opened two automated screening lanes at LaGuardia Airport in Terminal C last week. Four more lanes will open in Terminal D during the next several weeks.

“TSA continues to deploy state-of-the-art technologies to ensure that we focus on protecting passengers who fly out of LaGuardia Airport,” said Robert Duffy, TSA’s Federal Security Director at the airport. “We look at this new equipment and our partnership with Delta as being able to provide enhanced security while improving the traveler’s experience. The new automated screening lanes offer several features designed to improve the screening of travelers by automating many of the functions previously conducted manually, which allows travelers to move more swiftly and efficiently through the checkpoint.”

Delta was the first airline to invest in the implementation of automated screening lanes last year. The airline has since enabled the installation of approximately 40 lanes in cities around the country, including 17 at nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport among Terminals 2 and 4.

“Over the past year, Delta has led the industry on innovative solutions that improve the customer experience from curb to gate, including RFID baggage handling, real-time bag tracking, and a groundbreaking app that helps Delta pilots avoid turbulence for a more comfortable flight,” said Henry Kuykendall, Delta’s Senior Vice President, Airport Operations-Northeast. “These high-tech automated screening lanes are another way we’re working to take care of our customers, and we’re pleased to play a role in bringing them to our terminals at LaGuardia. We know a quicker journey through the security checkpoint will improve the entire airport experience for our New York customers who travel through our LaGuardia hub.”

Features of the new checkpoint lanes include:

• Multiple divesting stations to allow several passengers to step up to the conveyor belt at the same time, allowing several travelers to divest their personal property simultaneously;
• Automated conveyor belts that draw bins into the X-ray machines, and return the bins back to the front of the queue for passengers;
• Property bins that are 25 percent larger than the bins in standard screening lanes and are large enough to hold roller bags;
• A second conveyor belt for carry-on bags that trigger an alarm warning of a potential threat, which automatically pushes that bin to a separate area to allow bins behind it to continue through the screening process without delay;
• Unique Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags affixed to each bin to allow for additional accountability of a traveler’s items as they transit throughout the security process; and
• Cameras that capture photographic images of the contents of each bin, which are linked side-by-side to the X-ray image of a bag’s contents.

TSA continues to collaborate with vendors, airlines, airports, and across the counter-terrorism community to roll out additional automated checkpoint lanes across the country to improve the screening process as well as help minimize wait times. TSA’s long-term goal is to incorporate enhanced capabilities at checkpoint lanes throughout the country.