TSA Plans Body Scanners for PreCheck at Seven Airports

Travelers using TSA PreCheck at seven airports are slated to encounter redesigned security lanes during the next six weeks. The package combines automated identity gates, whole-body imaging and computer-assisted review of carry-on scans. TSA Administrator David Cummins said the configuration is intended to handle passengers at twice today’s pace. For PreCheck users, the biggest shift would be moving from metal detectors to body imaging.

Under the bag-screening approach, software selects scans for closer examination instead of requiring officers to study every image. Automated identity verification may also alter wait times when the system cannot correctly match a traveler. Even a very small failure rate can affect thousands of people because TSA screens millions of passengers each day.

TSA has also discussed permitting more belongings through participating checkpoints. Full water bottles have been considered for PreCheck lanes equipped with suitable scanners. Cummins estimated each airport package at $4 million and said operating savings and membership income could recover that expense in three years. Staffing would decline as employees leave, without layoffs.