By Johnny Duncan

The attacks on September 11th, 2001 affected many aspects of American life but perhaps none so much as commercial air travel. In the past six years, there have been unprecedented attempts to close security gaps at airports. The result is a commercial aviation system that is safer, but also far more intrusive and time consuming. Behind the scenes, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), part of the Department of Homeland Security, is spending billions of dollars on research and new technology aimed at removing some of that hassle.

Orlando International Airport (OIA) is the ninth-busiest airport in the country in terms of departing passengers. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, more than 5.6 million passengers flew out of OIA in the first six months of 2007. OIA is working closely with the TSA to implement new technologies designed to both improve airport security and expedite lines at security checkpoints.

Advances include a type of screening machine that uses puffs of air to collect and electronically analyze passengers for traces of explosives. The machines do not replace standard metal detectors, but are used to provide extra scrutiny of selected passengers, to check for hidden bombs, and eliminate the need for time-consuming hand searches.

The technology currently in place at OIA is called the Registered Traveler (RT) pilot program, which allows travelers to be positively identified at airport security checkpoints by the use of biometric technology. Travelers must go through an application process and security assessment, but once approved enjoy expedited security lines and are not randomly selected for secondary screening.

The program, also known as Clear, has signed up more than 35,000 customers since it launched in Orlando in July 2005. Clear’s customers pay a $99.95 first-year membership fee and submit to a background check. The security threat assessment is conducted through the use of biometric technology, which measures individuals’ unique physical characteristics to recognize or authenticate their identity. Common physical biometrics includes fingerprints, hand or palm geometry, and retina, iris, or facial characteristics.

Clear also provides shoe scanners that can allow passengers to avoid removing their shoes when they go through metal detectors.
Like fingerprints, no two irises are alike. When the individual checks-in under the RT program, the computer cross-references the individual’s iris scan with the previously stored iris template. Iris recognition is seen as having the highest accuracy of all biometric technologies and experts believe that this will be the variety that emerges as the frontrunner in RT programs around the world.

As part of the pre-screening process, RT program members will need to submit fingerprint as well as iris scans to one of the TSA-approved vendors. The fingerprint or iris template of a participating member is then stored in the form of a microchip, which is embedded into a credit-card sized smart card. Upon arrival at a security check point a member will then present their RT card along with their boarding pass to an attendant at an RT dedicated lane. The member will insert their RT card into the reader and follow the touch screen prompts.

The shoe scanner applies old technology that was used in the Vietnam War to detect land mines. This scanner uses AM radio waves to resonate the molecules inside shoes, creating a frequency that is unique to particular types of molecules. The device then compares the frequency to those of a range of substances, deciding whether the traveler is wearing something that could be an explosive or not.

When navigating through an airport, one thing travelers can count on in the next several years is that technology will continue to develop innovations designed to maximize traveler convenience while improving security.