It’s being called the latest and greatest way to “breeze” through airport security lines. If you plan to fly out of major airports in New York, Chicago or California in the near future you could be one of the first passengers to take advantage of the new invention.
It’s called “the puffer” and members of the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) say that it will vastly improve security measures at the nation’s busiest airports. According to TSA representatives, the machine “takes off body samples,” which in turn is supposed to move the security process along quicker. Basically, air pumps dislodge particles from your body and go through the system, and within seconds, are analyzed. The machine is designed to detect explosives down to a billionth of a gram.
The puffers cost about $160,000 apiece and most passengers who have experienced the new technology say it is money well spent. Not only does it speed up the screening process, it also decreases the likelihood you will be on the receiving end of an intrusive security pat down. However, TSA agents are quick to point out that the portal trace “in no way takes the place of traditional screening for carry-on luggage and metal.”
According to managers at Chicago’s Midway Airport, the recent installation of a puffer has drastically reduced the amount of time passengers have had to wait at security checkpoints. Even during the summer months (when airport travel peaks) the average wait time at individual security screening areas has been no more than five minutes. Compared to an average wait time of more than 11 minutes (during peak times) without the puffer.
TSA representatives say with increased funding for the puffers it will just be a matter time before you get your chance to sample life in the portal. Currently, there is a waitlist for the machines.
I will be traveling through Chicago soon and will share my “puffer” experience in a future blog. Have you encountered the puffer on your summer travels? What was your experience like?