Baggage check may be speeding up soon
In London’s Heathrow Airport, security is testing new 3D scanners that would permit passengers to keep all of their belongings in their carry-on bags.
The technology allows Transportation Security Administration workers to see all individual items in your bag, including liquids, laptops, and potential explosives. This means that people would no longer have to take anything out of their bag, making the security process significantly faster.
This is still in the trial phase, meaning passengers should not get too excited. Over the next six to twelve months, Heathrow (as well as other airports like New York’s JFK airport) will test the technology, and if it works, the policy might change within a few years.
Air travel has come a long way since the infamous terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Until 2006, passengers were not able to carry liquids onto flights. In 2006, airport officials changed the policy so that passengers could then take 100 milliliters worth of liquids.
If this technology works, travelers will save significant time by not having to wait in lines. In fact, airports are implementing other technologies as well. CLEAR is a technology that scans passengers’ fingerprints and irises – by paying for a monthly fee, passengers can skip the ID-check line in select airports and go straight to security.
While this may not be very useful for leisure passengers, it is effective for business travelers who fly often. The same goes for this new 3D scanning – time is important when one travels often, and knowing that one doesn’t have to wait in line can add 30 minutes to someone’s day.
