United Airlines wants to make holiday air travel a little less awful this year by reducing airport security delays with new partially automated security screening lanes at Chicago's O'Hare Airport--where security lines stretched to nearly two-hour wait times, earlier this year.
Chicago-based United worked with the Transportation Security Administration to launch a redesigned TSA Precheck security checkpoint in Terminal 1 at O'Hare. The airline previously launched automated screening lanes at its Los Angeles hub in October and it plans to bring the technology to other airports soon.
The new screening lanes work similar to cafeteria conveyor belts that carry away used dishes. The new lanes allow up to five customers to fill their bins simultaneously and move through the screening process quicker, United says, and its conveyor system automatically returns empty bins to the front of the queue. This keeps the process moving faster and so people aren't slowed down by others traveling with more bags.
United says the new lanes can reduce screening times by 30%.
"As the first and only U.S.-based airline to launch automated screening lanes in multiple airports, United continues its commitment to using the latest technology to meet the changing needs of our customers and improve the airport experience," Greg Hart, United's executive vice president and chief operations officer, said in a statement.
United isn't the only airport to test this new technology. Delta has been testing speedier screening lanes in Atlanta, and American has announced similar plans to test the technology at its hubs, including O'Hare.
United said it expects to open automated lanes at Newark Liberty International Airport by Thanksgiving.
The TSA addressed out-of-control wait times at a number of airports, including O'Hare, by increasing staffing and authorizing additional overtime for agents; according to reports, wait times at O'Hare were down below 10 minutes by August.
"Establishing these automated screening lanes at TSA checkpoints is an important part of sustaining the success we achieved since last spring," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "We've gone from an unacceptable 104 minute wait time at peak hours at O'Hare to some of the shortest in the country among major airports. With the will and the right technology we will continue this progress."
Image via United
