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Pittsburgh International Airport
Beginning Tuesday, travelers with just one carry-on item will be able to breeze through Pittsburgh International Airport's new Express Security Lane.
Air travelers trying to avoid checked luggage fees by taking along extra carry-ons often clog up the works at security checkpoints.
But passengers flying out of Pittsburgh International Airport now have incentive to pack light and check those bags.
Beginning Tuesday, travelers with just one carry-on item will be able to breeze through the airport’s new Express Security Lane, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation.
“Traffic has been increasing at our airport, and the checkpoint lines have been getting longer. This could pull up to 25 percent of the people out of the longer line and improve everyone’s experience,” said Bradley Penrod, executive director/CEO for the Allegheny County Airport Authority.
The express line received approval from the Transportation Security Administration and will be staffed by security officers who will send passengers with both a carry-on bag and another item, such as a computer bag or purse, to one of the other, non-express, checkpoint lines. Jackets will be allowed, but not carry-ons larger than 22" by 14" by 9".
“The program at Pittsburgh International Airport is one example of TSA partnering with airports to improve the passenger experience, while providing world-class security,” said TSA spokesperson Greg Soule.
Frequent flier and registered traveler programs already promise some travelers a quicker path to the secure side of many of the nation’s more than 450 commercial airports, but Pittsburgh airport officials believe they’ve come up with a novel, universally accessible idea.
“Even TSA couldn’t confirm we were the first airport to do this," said Penrod. "But we expect if it works here, other airports will start offering express lanes as well.”
More on Overhead Bin
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- Self-service kiosks simplify the airport experience
- Better document checking through facial recognition
- Leaving Las Vegas: Self-boarding and stumbling blocks
Find more by Harriet Baskas on Stuck at The Airport.com and follow her on Twitter.
Leave a Comment:
You're still limited to what you can take in that one bag, have to be 'felt up' and x-rayed .
Does that mean the terrorists, often with no more than a shiv and other items of mayhem, will get expedited boarding?
I've got to change my career choice or drive more.
Harriet,
Learn how to spell Pittsburgh. Spell check is a great tool!!!
Being tactful is a great tool as well!!!!
While I'm not particularly religious, I've always liked this passage - Let he (or she) with no sin cast the first stone. Kind of fits for the grammar/spelling police that frequent these threads.
How about the airlines drop the baggage fee and people won't try and carry everything and the kitchen sink onto the airplane!
If the airlines would drop the baggage fee then people would stop carrying ever thing they own on the airplane. They only made 11 billion on baggage fees last year. People that carry 2 or three bags on the plane only create problems for other people who need to carry laptops on the planes because of storage space in the overhead bins. Have you ever flew 10 hrs or more with your bag under the seat in front of you because the overhead bins were full. Cattle car section is so cramped so the airlines can sell as many seats as possible that it is cramped as is without having to sit with your leg space taken by your carry on. They need to drop 1 baggage fees.
Creating yet another line will not make decrease the volume problem in PIT. More burger-flippers need to be recruited into TSA so they can process more passengers per hour. So, I'll stuff my laptop bag into my carry on just to get through security?? Stupid.
Sounds like I should open up a Nationwide Bus Service
Here is a tip for people that want to get thru Security. Check one bag then go thru security at the last min. The Plane will be held at the gate until you get there and the TSA will expedite you thru.
Works every time
In San Francisco, the TSA is experimenting with a
Super Express Lane, for Nude Travelers Only
(but the airlines may charge for the napkins on the seats)
TSA is a joke, I accidentally went from Phoenix to Chicago (around trip I might add) with my taser in my purse. I always take it out when I fly, forgot. I did not see it in purse until I was in the air on my return flight, was not going to say a word until we landed. Told police when I got off plane, he said I guess they can't get everything. EVERYTHING it is a taser.
We sent emails to TSA when I got home, no word at all. Just a lot of people getting paid a lot of money to look important, and we are paying for it . God help us. America needs it
Loss of time, money, property, dignity, rights, privacy aside. What does not get much attention is the heath risk? This has turned into a
huge radiation experiment on tens of millions unprecedented in medical history.
www.rockyflatsgear.com/Airport-Scanner-privacy-software-a-great-publicity-move.html
www.rockyflatsgear.com/Airport-Back-scatter-Scanner-Dose-Explained.html
This sounds discrimatory to me. So a man with one bag can go though the express lane but a women with a purse and one bag can't. It isn't the number of bags that slow things down but people who aren't ready when they go though the lines and TSA who doesn't know what they are doing. People should do like we do now. We used to travel by plane about 10 times a year, now we drive and only fly once or twice a year. Our entire family, including adults kids and their family have all started driving more and flying less. It is no longer fun to fly and we do it only when it is absolutely necessary.
GREAT idea. so tired of people dragging out their laptops, and then all their other crap, geez!