Cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages have not been enough of an incentive for some would be travelers to fly who are concerned about maintaining their privacy when going through a full body scanner at airport security checkpoints.
This concern will be fully addressed, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), by the installation of new software that does not create passenger specific images.
Going forward, screeners will view a generic outline of a passengers body on a monitor attached to the scanner. The software will detect metallic and non-metallic concealed items.
This software, referred to as Automated Target Recognition, will be installed this fall on millimeter wave scanners, which use electromagnetic waves to produce an image of a body.
Currently, of the 488 full body scanners in use in airports nationwide, 241 are millimeter-wave and 247 are backscatter, which use low level radiation beams to create the image of a body.
This software upgrade enables us to continue providing a high level of security through advanced imaging technology screening, while improving the passenger experience at checkpoints, according to the TSA.
TSA believes the new scanning process will be more efficient since screeners will be able to review images at checkpoints instead of in separate rooms, as is the current practice. This new software was successfully tested at three major U.S. airports starting last February.
TSA expects to be able to test software on backscatter machines this fall. www.cheapfares.com