jspira

Actually both Delta and AA will have these up and running by the end of May, the Port Authority said and work is already underway.

There are several key features at work: the number of passengers who at one time can fill a bin and the automated belts.

Security Lines at JFK About to Move Much Faster with Introduction of Automated Screening Lanes.
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rjw242

Same system as LHR, more or less?

jspira

Haven't seen the new U.S. system yet but it sounds quite similar at least in theory.

ijgordon

I think they've been experimenting with these in other US airports (ATL?) and they're substantially similar if not identical to the Lhr ones.
Solves one of the most frustrating parts of the screening - getting stuck behind an idiot.

laagima

I used this security lane at JFK a week ago and it is indeed identical to the LHR system.
I did get stuck later behind an idiot who wanted to be the first one to board but not give up on his phone conversation...

adambadam

These are great if you have a person reading the X-rays at a reasonable clip. If not, it gets backed up and you end up getting out of sequence because you put your carry-on bag in one bin and push it forward and then it is backed up and you can't put your hand luggage and other items from you pocked in another bin until the four have cleared.

jspira

Just think. Now you can be stuck behind four or five.

rjw242

This is the crux of it. The LHR system (like the US system) seems to work fine when bags are moving through and when there are enough secondary screening staff. When it's backed up, it's backed up no matter what.

Presumably the new system will improve efficiency around the margins (e.g. not having to push your bag all the way forward to the conveyor belt; TSA not having to stop the conveyor while the owner of a secondary-screened bag is found), but I suspect the biggest factor is having an adequate number of properly-staffed lanes.

bchandler02

This. When the secondary screening backs up at LHR, it shuts down for everyone. And in true LHR fashion, last time I had this happen they had plenty of people to bark orders at you about what not to do, but none to screen the damn bags. One of them made the mistake of barking at me and got an earful.

jspira

Haven't yet seen this happen in LHR but time will tell. Regardless, the new system still appears to have a lot going for it. I'll reserve judgment.

muishkin

The LHR system does very little to improve the average rate of movements in the security lines. The number of bags screened per minute remain the same as before. Most of the time in JFK, I've observed that the rate of bins going into the X-ray machine is already close to that maximum capacity so I don't see how the LHR system can make the security lines at JFK go much faster.

Another annoying thing about the LHR system is that a lot of people don't know when to shove their bin into the conveyor belt. I've seen it often that people try to squeeze their bin into the moving conveyor belt, when its currently carrying another bin behind their position into the x-ray machine.

The automatic return of the empty bins is a good improvement.

flyerCO

JFK's T4 (DL) is getting these installed this weekend (Sunday). They've advised people to use the lower arrivals level (where you clear after international flights) security check point on Sunday.

PresRDC

Not a fan of them at LHR for the reasons noted above. The process moves dreadfully slowly, especially in the Terminal 3 flight connections area.

ijgordon

Well not needing to replenish bins landslide *should* help free up some staff.

Carioca

They have been running these at LAX for a few weeks now. Have not been able to tell if they are any faster.