Major TSA Change Could Dramatically Affect How You Travel

Whenever you're at the airport, the most memorable part of the process usually involves TSA (Transportation Security Administration) - whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. I always show up at the airport two hours early in case I walk in and there is an eternity-long wait in line.

Or, you have to anticipate the more unaware passengers who, despite there being multiple signs indicating to drink all their liquids or take out their electronics, won't do that and slow everything down. Whatever your reason for dreading TSA, it may not matter much longer since a change could be made that will drastically change how we enter airports.

Introducing: TSA Self-Service

According to a CBS report, TSA will be introducing a new self-service method of baggage checking starting on March 11. Much like the change from grocery lanes to self-checkout, baggage will now be placed on conveyor belts that are then scanned without an agent present. Passengers will step into a more robust X-ray machine than is currently being used while interacting with a virtual agent. You can see the new system in action here.

Christina Peach, deputy assistant administrator, says part of the testing is about figuring out if this is actually more productive than the current setup:

We don't really know how many people we're going to get per hour through it...is it faster than a traditional lane? Is it slower?

Ultimately, the goal of the changes is to have "fewer agents and more streamlined operations". This self-service prototype is currently only being tested at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, so if you were hoping to check it out over spring break you're out of luck.

Overall, this is an interesting concept but does lead one to be a little skeptical about whether this will really provide more security features than the current arrangement, or if the TSA is just looking to cut back on jobs.