TSA head wants ticketless travel to speed up screening
New TSA administrator Peter Neffenger wants to see more use of biometric scanners at airports in order to speed up the screening process.
That could mean the end of traditional boarding passes and a transition to ticketless travel.
"If I can tie you biometrically to a reservation and I can do so in a verified way, that moves you through the process faster," Neffenger told lawmakers.
However Neffenger, who took over at the agency earlier this month, said the immediate top priority is tightening up security gaps in passenger screening and also behind the scenes at airports.
He pledged to retrain thousands of TSA agent to close up security breaches after a recent report found the agency failed to spot hidden weapons 96% of the time in tests.
"It disturbs me we had that failure rate at the checkpoint. Over the course of the next 60 days, we will have trained the failure out of the front line of the TSA."
TSA agents missed hidden weapons in 67 out of 70 tests at airports carried by undercover agents through checkpoints.
"My highest priority is to ensure solutions to the recent covert testing failures," Neffenger said.
"Efficiency and getting people through airport security lines cannot be our sole reason that makes you take your eyes off the reason for the mission."
Former Coast Guard vice admiral Neffenger also wants to tighten up oversight of security badges, with more random checks on airport workers, expand the TSA’s dog sniffing team and hire third-party security screeners.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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