Four US Airports To Open Automated Security Lanes

Four major US airports plan to speed up security checks by automating the distribution of bins for carry-on bags, the US Transportation Security Administration said.

American Airlines' hubs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami will open the automated lanes. The lanes are expected to decrease wait times by 30 percent, the American and the TSA said in a joint statement.

Long security lines at US airports this spring caused thousands of people to miss their flights and prompted criticism of TSA by airlines and other industry groups.

In an interview last month, American's chief executive Doug Parker said the airline was working with airports to roll out the faster lanes, already in place at Delta's Atlanta hub.

At the four airports, automated conveyer belts will move bins for carry-on luggage through X-ray machines and divert those with suspicious items to a separate area, preventing bottlenecks. After screening is complete, the belts move the bins back to the start of each lane.

American and TSA also said they plan to add computed tomography, or CT, scans for carry-on bags at a checkpoint in Phoenix by year-end.

The technology, currently in use for checked luggage, could allow passengers to leave carry-on liquids and laptops in their bags.

American has said the TSA must add enough staff to handle checkpoints during peak travel times, without relying on airlines to contract extra airport staff. Earlier this year, TSA projected it will screen 15 percent more people than in 2013, with 12 percent fewer agents.

The TSA said it may deploy CT scans elsewhere if the Phoenix pilot succeeds.