John Fortune travel tips

With airport security lanes getting clogged in the U.S., UK and elsewhere, the Department of Homeland Security is slated to begin a series of tests of self-screening lanes at several airports, with Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas the first on tap in January.

The Transportation Security Administration is trying out a completely new checkpoint concept that its leaders liken to visiting the self-checkout station at the grocery store.

New technology is here to help travelers get through the security process quickly. Starting as soon as January 2024, visitors to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, will have the chance to use the self-service screening option with more airports to come. Here’s who is eligible and what the process will look like.

Self-service tech is evolving from fast-food restaurants and grocery checkouts: Starting in the New Year, select travelers will be able to screen themselves at airport security checkpoints. TSA is scheduled to launch a trial run of new “self-service” screening technology at the Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport in January, allowing fliers enrolled in TSA PreCheck to conduct their own body scans.

Seasoned travelers are pretty familiar with TSA PreCheck, the service that expedites your security experience. Now PreCheck is leveling up with this new initiative designed to make it even faster and more efficient. To help address the rise in passenger numbers without requiring tons of new TSA workers, the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) created the Screening at Speed Program – a passenger self-screening service that allows PreCheck passengers to complete the screening with almost no assistance from human agents.

Airport security may look a little more like a self-checkout counter next year thanks to a new technology the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is testing.

TSA PreCheck, an expedited security program for trusted travelers, has long been an attractive option for fliers who want to get to their gate faster and easier. However, starting next year, having the program’s logo on your boarding pass could net you an additional perk: the ability to breeze through entirely self-service TSA security lines.

Self-checkout has become a staple at the grocery store, and now the same concept is about to come to airport security. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to launch a trial of an automated self-service security program called Screening at Speed.

Following TSA's rollout of self-service facial recognition technology at select airports this summer, the agency is piloting its first passenger self-service screening in January.

Inan industrial park near Seattle’s airport, an Australian company called Micro-X is developing a system that could make air travelers’ dreams come true: speedy security screening that promises minimal interaction with TSA officers.