We can put a human on the moon, but we still have to take out liquids and laptops at airports. Until now.
Unless you are a first-time flyer, you have likely experienced one of the most miserable aspects of travel—airport security. Currently, unless passengers in the U.S. pay a fee and attend an interview to enrol in TSA Pre-Check, then they are required to remove laptops, shoes, and liquids.
MIAMI, FL – JUNE 02: Travelers go through the TSA PreCheck security point at Miami International … [+]
Despite security lines being there for our safety, you would be forgiven for thinking that surely in 2019 there would be the technology that didn’t mean passengers have to take out liquids in those little plastic see-through bags.
Limits on 100ml liquids in clear plastic bags have been in place at many airports across the globe since 2006, however there seems to now be a breakthrough in technology that will allow passengers to keep their liquids inside their baggage—ending that annoying process of pre-preparing plastic bags and taking out all your liquids at the x-ray machine.
Progression in technology will mean that liquids and laptops can soon be left inside passenger bags. … [+]
London Heathrow airport has just invested £50 million in new 3D technology that will speed up the airport security process. Going one step further, the U.K. government has instructed all major British airports to install the technology by 2022.
Heathrow has already been trialling the technology since 2017, in addition to subtle rollouts in some airports across the pond in the USA, including Chicago O’Hare and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airports. The British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that this means “no more pulling out your socks and your underwear, and having to separate your liquids and take your laptops out”.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 25: An aircraft takes of over Heathrow’s Terminal 5 on October 25, 2016 in … [+]
With the progression in technology for airport scanners, this news can surely only be celebrated by travelers. Having to check-in liquids over 100ml can be a logistical nightmare for some people flying. This is especially the case if you have no checked baggage.
The chief executive of Heathrow airport, John Holland-Kaye, said it would make travel “less disruptive” whilst ensuring that passenger security was kept as the foremost priority.
Improvements in technology will hopefully lead to an improvement in passenger comfort and efficiency in passing through airports over the next few years.
