Travel experts are concerned that cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages alone will not be enough to increase passenger traffic in the face of increasingly time consuming, sometimes frustrating, security measures. To address this concern an airline trade group has proposed a new approach to security checkpoints that could speed clearance for passengers viewed as low risk.
The International Air Transport Association has proposed a set of three tunnels, or enclosed pathways, be set up that are equipped with sensory, X-ray machines, cameras and other security equipment. Travelers would be assigned a tunnel that reflects their security status:
Known travelers
Normal Security
Enhanced Security
Travelers would be assigned one of these security ratings based on the biometric and other personal information the airlines and government authorities have about each traveler.
At the proposed checkpoints of the future, passengers would identify themselves with a fingerprint, biometric passport, or mobile boarding pass. Those identified as Known Travelers would be subject to minimal inspection. Travelers passing through the other tunnels would be put through more stringent checks. All three tunnels would have metal detectors.
The goal is to allow some passengers to walk from curb to planes uninterrupted by combining biometrics, passenger data and stand-off screening for explosives.
The Airports Council International-North America says it wants to work with the Transportation Security Administration to develop a trusted traveler program that ensures both the appropriate level of security and efficient passenger processing.
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