As part of an ongoing effort to enhance security at all levels, the Transportation Security Administration announced the installation of new identity verification technology today at security checkpoints in Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. This high-tech technology strives to promote greater passenger security by simplifying the process, which will lead to speedier travel through ANC.
The new system is called Credential Authentication Technology (CAT). It is meant to reduce the dependency on hard documents and rechecks for personal identity. CAT units take a picture of a passenger’s government-issued photo identification, which would be in the form of a driver’s license or passport. Upon scanning these images, the unit will immediately verify against any one of the secure TSA databases. It also verifies whether the travel identification presented is authentic and valid while ensuring that the traveler has no existing flight reservations. It reduces queuing and prevents mistakes at checkpoints through the removal of manual checks of paper documents.
Such technology, according to Julie Johnson, Federal Security Director for ANC, TSA, should also be a faster and a safer experience for travelers. In addition, the technology is designed to stay in line with the growing interest in contactless travels.
With COVID-19 and other health concerns, the TSA is continually seeking methods of minimizing contact between passengers and security officers. For example, with the CAT system, the boarding passes would not need to be touched by the TSA officers since they automatically check the details, thereby making the entire process cleaner and more efficient.
Another significant advantage of the CAT technology is the capability it has in detecting fraudulent ID. The system is mainly built with sophisticated algorithms and databases that help to identify tampered or fictitious IDs; hence there would be improved security within the airports. This automatic method of ID checking reduces human error possibilities and increases the probabilities of identifying people attempting to use fake documents.
Passengers will find, at the security checkpoints, units of CAT that will be deployed. As the passenger approaches the checkpoint, they are then prompted to insert their ID into the machine, scanning it from which will verify it. Passengers do not need to show a boarding pass here, since the system cross-references all their flight details anyway, therefore requiring less steps through security screening.
Though presently, new verification through an identity technology attempts to make the processing through checkpoints more secure and convenient, further innovations are under study by TSA. In the near future, TSA may add biometric technologies like facial recognition in this system to enhance the travel experience in an integrated, streamlined manner.
Just in time for the holiday travel season, TSA officials urge travelers at ANC to arrive prepared and become acquainted with new technology that promises to make the process smoother. While passengers should still present their boarding passes to airline employees and other airport services once they are beyond security check points, this abolishment of boarding passes for screening by TSA should reduce checkpoint overall times.
The whole package of deploying the new technology in ANC by the TSA is a part of a more comprehensive strategy for modernizing airport security in various parts of the country, in tandem with technological advancement without compromising on the comfort and safety of passengers. Up to now, CAT has braches upon the travelers passing through ANC’s improved experience going forward.
