According to Miami International Airport’s operators, security screening at the airport just got easier, thanks to the installation of seven new computed tomography (CT) scanners at six TSA checkpoints. Passengers traveling through a lane with a CT scanner will now be permitted to leave laptops and other electronic devices in their carry-on bags.
The airport explained that the new scanners provide improved explosive detection screening by creating a 3D image that can be viewed and rotated on three axes for thorough visual image analysis by a TSA officer. If a bag requires further screening, TSA officers will inspect it to ensure that a threat item is not contained inside.
The CT checkpoint units were designed with a smaller footprint than those used for checked baggage to enable accommodation in the constrained space of a passenger screening area. The seven units join three others previously installed when MIA became one of the first airports in the country to begin rolling out this technology in TSA checkpoints.
“TSA is committed to putting in place the best technology while also improving the screening experience,” said Daniel Ronan, TSA’s federal security director for MIA. “CT technology enhances TSA’s threat detection capability through both automated detection and allowing our frontline workforce to use the 3D feature to spin the image that triggered an alarm to ascertain if a threat is present without opening the bag.”