SAN ANTONIO --
In just a matter of months, San Antonio International Airport passengers will be showing security agents more than just their boarding pass and ID before they can board a plane, the will be showing off their bodies.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Nepolitano announced that San Antonio International will be one of 28 airports across the county that will be receiving new full-body scan machines that use advanced imaging technology.
The new machines will scan the body looking for weapons, explosives or objects that could be hidden under clothes. The TSA agent monitoring the scan will be in a private area away from the public security area. The image will also be filtered.
Some passengers at the airport on Wednesday didn't mind the new but more intrusive security.
"(It's) just a machine with someone in a back room I don't have to look at or watch their reaction when they watch whatever they see," said Sarah Purcell. "The less personal the better."
Some passengers, however, didn't like the idea
"My first reaction when I heard about it was negative," said Mike Devall.
But most passengers agreed that in the long run, heightened security is a good thing.
Frequent flyer Scott Bolleter said, "I think we in America have to recognize that safety has to come first."
Some passengers seemed to be less concerned about the body scan and more concerned about the time. According to TSA spokeswoman Carrie Harmon, the TSA will be monitoring the time it takes for passengers to get through the scanner. The metal detectors will be available for overflow passenger traffic.
San Antonio travelers can expect to start using the AIT's within the next couple of months.
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