Flying from Boise Airport anytime soon? New scanners speed you through TSA checkpoint
Passengers racing to get through the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at the Boise Airport no longer have to rifle through their bags or pull out their phones to find a boarding pass.
The TSA has installed a scanner connected to the Internet that electronically matches passengers’ identifications to their flight schedules, eliminating the need to show a boarding pass.
And a new carry-on baggage scanner makes it so passengers no long have to remove electronics such as laptops or tablets, travel-size liquids, medical equipment or food — if they’re in the right line.
The changes are meant to reduce the number of times passengers’ belongings are touched by TSA officers. The airport installed acrylic barriers throughout the screening area last month to limit exposures between security officers and travelers.
The ID scanner checks a driver’s license, passport or passport card and compares it to the database for the state where it was issued, or a federal list for passports and plastic passport cards. Using credential-authenticating technology, the scanner can detect whether an ID is genuine or whether it has been altered, TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers said in an interview.
“It runs it against what’s called the Secure Flight database, travelers on the no-fly list,” Dankers said. “It also confirms the person’s airline ticket and travel dates.”
Both scanners were installed in October. On Wednesday, TSA invited local news media to take a look.
Passengers wishing to have carry-on baggage scanned by the enhanced scanner should head for the middle line after clearing the check-in station.
“They still have to remove their shoes but not remove anything from their bag, so that’s good for the traveler,” Dankers said. “They just put their bag on the belt.”
The CT scanner — computed tomography — similar to those used in hospitals, uses three-dimensional X-ray technology. TSA officers can view items from different angles, rotating the image 360 degrees. That reduces the need for hand inspections.
As more than a dozen passengers went through the checkout on Wednesday morning, only one bag was pulled off the line for hand inspection. That bag appeared to contain a bottled beverage with more than the 3.4 ounces of liquid allowed to go through the checkpoint.
“We like to use this as our primary method for X-ray detection, and the reason for that is because of the thoroughness of the image,” Dankers said. “The 2D X-rays are still in use at airports, including Boise, but these offer an extra tool for the officers. Being able to resolve any potential threats on the screen instead of having to go into the bag is a plus.”
All TSA security officers wear face masks and gloves while they screen passengers. Those working close to passengers must also wear a face shield or other eye protection. Officers rotate to different positions every 30 minutes. They are required to change gloves when rotating to a new duty station or after patting down a passenger.
Passengers can also ask an officer to change gloves before doing a hand search of a bag, Dankers said.
“Don’t feel bashful in asking them to change their gloves,” she said. “They come in contact with a lot of surfaces that come in contact with a lot of people. I highly recommend saying, ‘I’d like you to put on your gloves.’ They will do so.”
Holiday gifts taken aboard a plane — either in checked baggage or in a carry-on bag — should be left unwrapped, in case an item needs to be hand-inspected, Dankers said.
Because of the pandemic, a passenger is allowed to bring aboard up to a 12-ounce bottle of hand sanitizer. That’s an exception to the liquids restriction.
Twenty-one Boise Airport employees, including 18 screening officers, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, according to a TSA database.
That’s five more than at Portland International Airport in Oregon, but 49 fewer than at Salt Lake City International Airport. Spokane International Airport has reported nine employees with the coronavirus.
“TSA has worked very closely with the airport, because we want to help improve the environment for our employees and for the travelers coming through,” Dankers said. “Travelers really should assess their risk to determine if they do want to travel during the holiday season.”
Boise Airport traffic is down sharply from 2019. Although November passenger numbers have not been released, Andrew Coose, TSA’s Idaho security director, said Thanksgiving traffic was up, but still about half of last year’s traffic.
In October, 186,449 total passengers flew through BOI compared with 361,193 in October 2019. October marked the highest number of passengers moving through the Boise Airport since February, just before the pandemic came to Idaho.
Passenger screenings at the Boise Airport have gone smoothly, Coose said.
“Passenger are calm,” Coose said in an interview. “They seem somewhat cautious, obviously, but we’ve not had any sort of disruptive passengers, people failing to wear a mask. Everyone has been thankful for the work that’s being done and the way we’re going about it.”
He also praised the 125 TSA employees employed at the airport.
“They have just been solid throughout this entire thing,” Coose said.
