The TSA will begin testing high-tech lanes at seven airports over the next six weeks.
The lanes won't feature new technology but they'll combine three tech solutions, a combination that can double throughput, TSA administrator David Cummins said on Oct. 6 at the Airport Councils International -- North America security conference in Arlington, Va.
His remarks were reported by Federal News Network.
Cummins said TSA enrollment has flattened at around 50 million. The agency believes faster lanes can help boost membership by 20 million over the coming years.
Cummins dubbed the high-tech lanes "PreCheck mod set." They'll feature a combination of eGates, Advance Imaging Technology (AIT) scanners and AI-supported luggage screening that alerts when unusual items are detected.
AIT scanners work more quickly than older TSA scanning systems, which require travelers to pose with their hands above their heads. With AIT systems, subjects need only to pose briefly with their arms down.
eGates allow the TSA to automatically compare traveler biometrics with their identity document and boarding pass without the need for a human.
Cummins also said that there will be additional items that travelers will be able to bring through mod set checkpoint lanes, Federal News Network reported, but declined to say what those items will be.
The high-tech lanes will be part of the Horizon 25 package of strategic initiatives that the TSA plans to implement in conjunction with its 25th anniversary in November. The name also references the program's effort to shape the TSA's next 25 years.
Cummins said the agency has completed an initial dozen studies that will guide the Horizon 25 strategy.