We may be nearing a dream for airline passengers, or at least the end of the nightmare of practically unpacking at the scanning area, taking out laptops, liquids, and all the rest. Live trials are already underway on a new generation of scanners that will make that all unnecessary.
The new technology, from L-3 and Smiths, the two companies that provide most of the scanners at airports, Based on CT (Computerized Tomography) scanning, already used for checked bags. L-3’s devices, called ClearScan, is in live tests at Amsterdam Schiphol and at Johannesburg.
Because the CT machines are able to provide more detailed images than a regular X-ray, less has to be taken out of bags, and therefore fewer trays are needed and therefore less time waiting while people disassemble and reassemble their traveling lives. The liquids still need to be bagged, but not removed.
Reuters reports that a Schiphol spokesperson says the results of the trial so far are good, and that “It leads to fewer rejections of checked hand luggage and therefore fewer additional checks.” She also said that if the trial is completed successfully, Schiphol will use them in all its 67 security lanes starting in 2017.
Smiths machines are still in development, and won’t be ready until late next year. The company claims an advantage: its conveyor belt will run at the same speed as current machines, while the L-3 ones move slower. But, as Schiphol staff confirm, it’s still much faster than the old process because it eliminates the unpacking and repacking time.
Photo: L-3 machine as installed at Schiphol (company photo)
This would be very welcome news for travelers, especially those who don’t fly very often.