May 23—New security checkpoint scanners installed at the Bismarck Airport mean passengers no longer have to remove items from their bags when going through security.
The machines provide a 3D image that Transportation Security Administration workers can rotate and manipulate. This allows staff to better identify a bag's contents without having to set it aside. The machines highlight suspicious items using an algorithm that will be updated over time.
The new technology enables passengers to keep everything inside their bags and prevents bag checks. Passengers as part of the process must place all their items including carry-on luggage into bins.
Each bin is marked with a number and a scanner. When a worker does find a suspicious item, he or she is able to direct it aside via the machine. The worker responsible for checking bags knows exactly which bin needs to be checked.
There is a learning curve for both staff and passengers, according to TSA regional spokesperson Jessica Mayle. Feedback from staff has been positive. Oversize liquids, gels and aerosols slow down the line most when it comes to checks. TSA staff is able to better identify those items with the imaging.
Anything that isn't supposed to go through the checkpoint will not go through. Mayle advises passengers to pack smartly and listen to staff instructions when going through the checkpoint.
"When passengers come through with the right attitude, it really makes a difference to your fellow passengers, but also to the staff," she said.
She recommends that travelers go to the TSA website at https://www.tsa.gov/ to know what is and isn't allowed.
The machines have been installed as part of a federal contract. Hundreds of them have been installed across the country. Eventually the machines will be the standard for airports, according to Mayle.
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