On the eve of Memorial Day weekend, the Transportation Security Administration introduced new guidelines for the airport security clearance process. The new TSA rules are designed to reduce the likelihood of their officers being exposed the coronavirusaccording to the agency.
“In the interests of TSA frontline workers and the health of travelers, TSA is committed to making careful changes to our screening processes to limit physical contact and maximize physical distance as much as possible,” said TSA administrator David Pekoske in a statement Thursday. There were Hundreds of reported cases by TSA officials who caught COVID-19 while continuing to work at airports nationwide during the height of the pandemic.
Changes to the verification process include a requirement that passengers do not have to hand over boarding passes to TSA officers. Passengers are now being asked to scan their own boarding passes – both paper and electronic – rather than handing them over to the TSA officer in front of security. Once scanned, passengers should hold up their boarding pass for the TSA officer to visually check.
Passengers are also asked to place any Eating out of their hand luggage Bags in clear plastic bags and these bags in their own containers to go through the X-ray machine. “Food often sets off an alarm during the screening process,” said a TSA press release. “Separating the groceries from the carry-on bag will reduce the likelihood that a TSA officer will have to open the carry-on bag and remove the groceries for further examination.” (TSA PreCheck membersare exempt from this requirement.)
Also new is the fact that when something is in a passenger carry-on baggageAs with liquids, a laptop or other large electronics, an alarm is triggered. The passenger will be directed back outside of the security area to remove the items and re-x-ray the bag. Previously, a TSA officer would have opened the bag and searched it to remove the item. However, this new method reduces the number of pockets agents must touch. Airmen will also notice social distancing markings on the ground in the queues leading to the security checkpoint.
TSA also recommends putting things like keys, phones, belts, and wallets directly in carry-on items. Passengers are also encouraged to carry Face masks, but officers could ask Airmen to adjust their face coverings to verify their identity. The agency asked staff to wear face masks through the security checkpoint in early May, and staff also change gloves after tapping them and, in some cases, sit behind plastic dividers.
Not mentioned in the new TSA rules? Temperature control for passengers. Many in the aviation industry have campaigned with the agency to have their post-coronavirus officials conduct this additional health screening, including the Airlines for America trading group, which represents major U.S. carriers like Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United, and American Airlines . TSA is supposedly still considering a plan that his officers should measure the temperatures of the passengers.
The new verification rules are already in effect at some airports and will be introduced nationwide by mid-June, according to the TSA. The changes come as the security agency has seen “steady growth” in the number of travelers passing through airport checkpoints in recent weeks, the press release said. The daily number of leaflets screened by TSA was around 200,000 people in May, according to the agency’s passenger numbers. While this is still a steep drop from last year, it’s an improvement on April when the number of fliers nationwide dropped into the 80,000 range.
Some airlines, including Southwest and JetBlue, have also reported a slight decrease in their cancellation rates and slight increases in bookings, although it’s too early to say whether these trends will meaningfully continue as the pandemic progresses. But it seems airlines and TSAs alike are preparing for an, albeit modest, surge in summer travelers.
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