At dozens of airports in the U.S., the ritual of having a TSA agent scan your boarding pass is becoming a thing of the past.
A machine known as a credential authentication technology (CAT) scanner is replacing the need for hand scanning of boarding passes, according to a report in Conde Nast Traveler.
Instead, the new technology can automatically match a traveler’s ID to flight manifests.
In an email to Conde Nast Traveler, Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Lorie Dankers says:
“There is no need for a boarding pass at this point since the Secure Flight database contains the names and flight details for people ticketed to travel in the next 24 hours.”
On its website, TSA has a list of airports using the technology — and the list is long. It includes some of the biggest airports in the country, such as:
- Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
- Boston Logan International Airport
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
- Los Angeles International Airport
- Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport
- Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
- New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport
At these airports and many more, travelers no longer have to produce their boarding pass and instead will either give their ID to a TSA officer or insert it into the machine at a TSA podium.
The machines can read a range of documents, from passports to permanent resident cards. The TSA lists all the valid forms of ID on its website.
Two other programs also can make getting through security checkpoints easier than in the past. They include:
- Apple’s recently launched partnership with TSA that allows passengers at some airports to use ID information uploaded to the Apple Wallet app to get through security checkpoints.
- American Airlines’ partnership with the TSA that lets passengers with a frequent flier account and TSA Precheck to use their mobile devices at checkpoints. Those who use the program must first download the Airside Digital Identity app to an iOS or Android device.
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