Airports and airlines are employing new technologies to cut down on the wait times associated with air travel, from getting through security to lining up to board. One of the biggest time sinks that people usually experience at the airport is moving through the X-ray scanners in the security line. Now that many countries require people to remove most liquids from their carry-ons and have rules about how much someone can carry, these lines often get congested as travelers make sure they abide by restrictions and open up their luggage to remove items that need to go through separately.
3D Scanners Make It Easier to Process Checked Luggage
Luckily, airports may have a new strategy for streamlining the entire process. London-Heathrow Airport, the largest airport in the United Kingdom with more than 80 million passengers each year, recently introduced a 3D scanner as part of the baggage screening process at Terminal 5.
Terminal 5 handles about 60,000 bags each day. The baggage screening process, which is now completely automated, starts after a bag is dropped at departure. During the sorting process, bags go through an imaging process that essentially eliminates the need for human hands while remaining completely secure. Formerly, 2D images would necessitate significant human intervention to check through bags manually and ensure that no dangerous items are within, a process that also potentially puts employee lives at risk.
The new scanners work much like computed tomography (CT) scanners used in hospitals. The machine is essentially an X-ray scanner that takes many images at all angles to provide a 3D depiction of the contents of a bag. Using image recognition and human supervision, the machine flags suspicious items within a bag, and any flagged baggage is removed for further inspection before it makes it to the aircraft. Meanwhile, algorithms make it possible to identify explosives and other threats automatically.
The infrastructure at Heathrow had to be updated to accommodate the new machines, which are larger and twice as heavy as the former ones. This was difficult to carry out in a live airport, especially since floors had to be lifted and changed to support the new weight. In fact, it took Heathrow four years to update the 29 screening machines, largely because the majority of work could only be done during the four hours at night when flights do not occur.
How the New Technology Will More Directly Benefit Travelers
Unfortunately, this technology may not exactly excite passengers, as they do not see the differences happening behind the scenes. What will benefit passengers more is bringing this 3D imaging technology directly to the security line, which is the project that Heathrow has taken on since the completion of Terminal 5.
Heathrow plans to use the same CT technology to scan hand luggage, which would eliminate the requirement of taking liquids out of carryon luggage. The technology makes it possible for staff members to zoom in on and rotate images of the contents of luggage for a more thorough inspection. The scanners can also effectively identify the specific liquids contained within the luggage.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently called upon airports throughout the United Kingdom to implement 3D scanners in airports by the end of 2022 in an effort to cut down on lines and wait times. The United Kingdom has restrictions on flying with fluids similar to those in the United States. If the new initiative significantly helps move passengers through the airport, as predicted, it would not be surprising to see the same technology adopted more widely in the United States in the coming few years. Already, O’Hare in Chicago and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta have begun using the technology. Heathrow is the first airport in the United Kingdom to begin implementing CT scanners in security lines, a project that will cost approximately $61.5 million USD and take several years to complete.
The Potential Downsides of New 3D Scanning Technology
While the price tag may sound shocking, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has asserted that aviation companies, rather than taxpayers, would collectively cover the costs of implementing this technology. However, there is always the possibility that airlines will increase their ticket prices to offset the cost. Some passengers may not mind paying a premium on their tickets to save themselves time spent waiting in line, but the technology meant to speed movement through the airport could also hurt overall sales, at least in the short term.
It is also worth mentioning that the new technology does not eliminate the ban on traveling with liquids in excess of 100 milliliters—instead, it prevents the need to remove the bottles from a bag. However, travelers would no longer need to house their bottles of liquids in transparent plastic bags.
Jim Gill's Blog 