(NEXSTAR) – The Transportation Security Administration has already done away with requiring travelers to take off their shoes during screenings, and the agency has introduced lines dedicated for families.
Now, TSA is launching a futuristic means of getting through security.
On Tuesday, the tech firm CLEAR announced a pilot, public-private partnership with TSA to bring biometric “eGates” to select U.S. airports to “expedite the passenger experience and enhance security” ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th anniversary celebration.
The gates are meant to help you skip the TSA podium, where an agent verifies your identification and boarding pass before you can enter the security screening area.
The eGates use “real-time biometric verification” by matching your face with the facial image on your identity document and your boarding pass. The gates will be overseen by TSA, with agents capable of “triggering gate access, conducting security vetting, and enforcing government security requirements.”
According to CLEAR, eGates are debuting at three airports this month:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia
- Ronald Reagan National Airport in the District of Columbia
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington
The company intends to bring eGates to airports nationwide, but did not give an exact timeline on Tuesday.
“CLEAR is investing in this technology at no cost to taxpayers to modernize our checkpoints and ensure America’s airports are ready to meet global expectations,” CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman Becker said in a press release. “CLEAR’s secure identity platform will help unlock a better, safer, and more frictionless experience for all travelers.”
CLEAR is already a partner in TSA’s PreCheck program with a presence in more than 200 airports nationwide. The company didn’t say on Tuesday whether or not you’ll need to have PreCheck to use the eGates. CLEAR did not immediately respond to Nexstar’s request for additional information.
Last month, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told NewsNation host Blake Burman at the Hill Nation Summit that the agency had been reviewing ways to make traveling — specifically getting through TSA — easier.
Shortly before that announcement, TSA confirmed it would allow travelers to leave their shoes on during security screenings. Then, in late July, TSA announced a new “Families on the Fly” program that gives those with children “their own space where they can move through security at their own pace, without feeling rushed or as though they’re inconveniencing other travelers.” Dedicated lines for service members and their families are also in the works. Other future updates to the security screening process, according to Noem, may include easing the liquids rule.
Noem also said she was “working with several different companies with technologies to give us competitive bids on what they actually do.”
“The future of an airport, where I’m looking to go, is you walk in the door with your carry-on suitcase, you walk through a scanner and right to your flight. Takes you one minute,” Noem said during the Hill Nation Summit.
