Mar 2, 2022, 5:22 pm
Last edit by: TWA884
From the TSA website:
CAT is an effective tool for TSA officers, providing enhanced fraudulent ID detection capabilities while confirming the identity and flight information of travelers.
When a CAT unit is in use, a TSA officer will ask travelers to provide their photo IDs. The officer will insert each photo ID into the CAT unit where the ID is scanned and analyzed.
CAT is linked electronically to the Secure Flight database, which confirms travelers’ flight details, ensuring they are ticketed for travel that day. CAT also displays the pre-screening status (such as TSA PreCheck®) the traveler is eligible for, all without a boarding pass. However, CAT does not eliminate the requirement for passengers to check-in with their airline. Passengers still need their boarding pass to show the airline representative at their gate before boarding their flight.
Credential Authentication Technology
What is CAT?
Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) is a security game changer, ensuring ID authentication, reservation verification and Secure Flight pre-screening status are known in “near” real-time at the airport security checkpoint.CAT is an effective tool for TSA officers, providing enhanced fraudulent ID detection capabilities while confirming the identity and flight information of travelers.
When a CAT unit is in use, a TSA officer will ask travelers to provide their photo IDs. The officer will insert each photo ID into the CAT unit where the ID is scanned and analyzed.
CAT is linked electronically to the Secure Flight database, which confirms travelers’ flight details, ensuring they are ticketed for travel that day. CAT also displays the pre-screening status (such as TSA PreCheck®) the traveler is eligible for, all without a boarding pass. However, CAT does not eliminate the requirement for passengers to check-in with their airline. Passengers still need their boarding pass to show the airline representative at their gate before boarding their flight.
Advantages of CAT
CAT improves the travel document checker’s ability to accurately authenticate passenger identification and pre-screening status, addressing the vulnerabilities associated with ID and boarding pass fraud.Acceptable Forms of ID
Passengers 18 years old and over must show valid identification at the airport checkpoint in order to travel. CAT can scan the following types of identification:- U.S. passport
- U.S. passport card
- U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) ID. This includes IDs for active duty and retired military, their dependents, and DOD civilians. Also, the DOD Common Access Card (CAC).
- U.S. Merchant Mariner ID
- Trusted Traveler card:
- Global Entry
- Secure Electronic Network for Traveler Rapid Inspection (SENTRI)
- Free and Secure Trade (FAST) ID
- NEXUS card
- Permanent Resident Card/Resident Alien Card (I-551)
- Border Crossing Card/nonimmigrant visa (DSP-150)
- DHS refugee travel document (I-571)
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Employment Authorization Document (I-766)
- Driver’s or enhanced driver’s license
- Identification card issued by or under authority of a state Department of Motor Vehicles or equivalent state office that is intended or commonly accepted for the purpose of identifying individuals
- Passports
- United Nations laissez-passer
- Canadian driver’s license
- Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) card
Airport Locations
TSA has CAT units at the following airports:
- Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)
- Atlantic City International Airport (ACY)
- Albany International Airport (ALB)
- Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Appleton International Airport (ATW)
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
- Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)
- Bradley International Airport (BDL)
- Bangor International Airport (BGR)
- Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM)
- Billings Logan International Airport (BIL)
- Bismarck Municipal Airport (BIS)
- Nashville International Airport (BNA)
- Boise Airport (Boise Air Terminal) (Gowen Field) (BOI)
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (Ryan Field) (BTR)
- Burlington International Airport (BTV)
- Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)
- Hollywood Burbank Airport (was Bob Hope Airport) (BUR)
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
- Akron–Canton Airport (CAK)
- Charleston International Airport / Charleston AFB (CHS)
- The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID)
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE)
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
- Yeager Airport (CRW)
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
- James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY)
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
- Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Des Moines International Airport (DSM)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
- El Paso International Airport (ELP)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Sioux Falls Regional Airport (Joe Foss Field) (FSD)
- Spokane International Airport (Geiger Field) (GEG)
- Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport (GPT)
- Green Bay–Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB)
- Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR)
- Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO)
- Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (Roger Milliken Field) (GSP)
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
- Houston William P. Hobby International Airport (HOU)
- Westchester County Airport (HPN)
- Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
- Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (formerly Wichita Mid-Continent Airport) (ICT)
- Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
- Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP)
- Jackson Hole Airport (JAC)
- Jackson–Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN)
- Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- McCarran International Airport (LAS)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (LBB)
- LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
- Clinton National Airport (Adams Field) (was Little Rock National) (LIT)
- Kansas City International Airport (MCI)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
- Manchester–Boston Regional Airport (MHT)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE)
- Minot International Airport (MOT)
- Dane County Regional Airport (Truax Field) (MSN)
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
- Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR)
- Oakland International Airport (OAK)
- Eppley Airfield (OMA)
- Ontario International Airport (ONT)
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Norfolk International Airport (ORF)
- Paine Field Airport (PAE)
- Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
- Portland International Airport (PDX)
- Punta Gorda Airport (PGD)
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
- Pensacola International Airport (PNS)
- Tri-Cities Airport (PSC)
- Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)
- Theodore Francis Green State Airport (PVD)
- Portland International Jetport (PWM)
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
- Richmond International Airport (RIC)
- Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO)
- Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport (Woodrum Field) (ROA)
- Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC)
- Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
- San Diego International Airport (SAN)
- San Antonio International Airport (SAT)
- Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV)
- South Bend International Airport (was South Bend Regional) (SBN)
- Louisville International Airport (Standiford Field) (SDF)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Springfield–Branson National Airport (SGF)
- Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV)
- San Jose International Airport (SJC)
- Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (San Juan Airport) (SJU)
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
- John Wayne Airport (SNA)
- Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (SRQ)
- St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
- Cyril E. King Airport (STT)
- Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR)
- Tallahassee International Airport (TLH)
- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
- Tulsa International Airport (TUL
- Tucson International Airport (TUS)
- McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS)
- Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA)
New TSA Credential Authentication Technology ID Scanners - No Boarding Pass Required
Dec 4, 2022, 9:49 pm
#136
Join Date: May 2013
Location: New York
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott LTPP, Hertz Five Star
Posts: 1,079
The newer version of TSA CAT
The traveler scans their ID on their side, a tablet/screen takes a photo, and compares the two. The examples in the video seem to be some local or pre-cleared "no valid boarding pass" for the news that doesn't actually pull up the secure flight info and just says the screening type is "BP check". Additionally, it seems to only work with the mobile drivers licenses in Apple Wallet for states that support it (otherwise, you still exchange the document like with the current 1.0 version of CAT).
It doesn't seem to be any speed improvement at this point, but it is a pilot, so who knows what the future holds.
It doesn't seem to be any speed improvement at this point, but it is a pilot, so who knows what the future holds.
Dec 4, 2022, 10:17 pm
#137
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Colorado (anywhere between DEN DMM BAH)
Programs: United MileagePlus, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, NEXUS
Posts: 3,030
The newer version of TSA CAT seems to be being tested at Denver. The traveler scans their ID on their side, a tablet/screen takes a photo, and compares the two. The examples in the video seem to be some local or pre-cleared "no valid boarding pass" for the news that doesn't actually pull up the secure flight info and just says the screening type is "BP check". Additionally, it seems to only work with the mobile drivers licenses in Apple Wallet for states that support it (otherwise, you still exchange the document like with the current 1.0 version of CAT).
It doesn't seem to be any speed improvement at this point, but it is a pilot, so who knows what the future holds.
It doesn't seem to be any speed improvement at this point, but it is a pilot, so who knows what the future holds.
Dec 5, 2022, 8:54 am
#138
Join Date: May 2013
Location: New York
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott LTPP, Hertz Five Star
Posts: 1,079
Washington Post - TSA now wants to scan your face at security. Here are your rights.
The list of some airports that are testing it (with no guarantee that the pilot will be in your terminal/security line/active at the time you transit) is included in the article.
For brevity here: ATL, BOS, BWI, DCA, DEN, DFW, DTW, GPT, JAN, LAS, MCO, PHX, SJC, SLC.
Unlike the prior video from Denver, the WaPo article shows a picture of the IDEMIA passport reader and E-Seek M500 ID scanner turned around towards the passenger. Essentially, you would never actually hand over your ID to the TSA officer - you would stick your passport or ID card in the appropriate reader, and then the screen would take a photo, compare the two, and tell the TSO if it matched automatically.
The TSA claims (per article) it's more accurate than human matching and that small differences in facial appearance like facial hair, change of hairstyle have "negligible negative impact" and it's ultimately the TSO's discretion to do what they've always done (match you manually) if the machine facial recognition doesn't do it automatically.
For the privacy portion the TSA claims that in most cases, the facial recognition data (data pulled from ID and the live photo) is immediately overwritten. As it is a pilot though, there are "cases in which it holds on to the data for up to 24 months for effectiveness."
For their part, the TSA claims you can opt out of the facial recognition (where your ID would be scanned and matched manually to your live face by the TSO, as it is with the current CAT system) with no negative impact (additional screening time, SSSS, patdown/body scan/luggage search etc.)
Seems like it could potentially reduce TSO workload. I don't think it'll be any faster than the current CAT system or boarding pass checking, and the existing CAT system already checks IDs for security features to determine if they're counterfeit or not.
Dec 5, 2022, 9:00 am
#139
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Colorado (anywhere between DEN DMM BAH)
Programs: United MileagePlus, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, NEXUS
Posts: 3,030
I found a little more information.
Washington Post - TSA now wants to scan your face at security. Here are your rights.
The list of some airports that are testing it (with no guarantee that the pilot will be in your terminal/security line/active at the time you transit) is included in the article.
For brevity here: ATL, BOS, BWI, DCA, DEN, DFW, DTW, GPT, JAN, LAS, MCO, PHX, SJC, SLC.
Unlike the prior video from Denver, the WaPo article shows a picture of the IDEMIA passport reader and E-Seek M500 ID scanner turned around towards the passenger. Essentially, you would never actually hand over your ID to the TSA officer - you would stick your passport or ID card in the appropriate reader, and then the screen would take a photo, compare the two, and tell the TSO if it matched automatically.
The TSA claims (per article) it's more accurate than human matching and that small differences in facial appearance like facial hair, change of hairstyle have "negligible negative impact" and it's ultimately the TSO's discretion to do what they've always done (match you manually) if the machine facial recognition doesn't do it automatically.
For the privacy portion the TSA claims that in most cases, the facial recognition data (data pulled from ID and the live photo) is immediately overwritten. As it is a pilot though, there are "cases in which it holds on to the data for up to 24 months for effectiveness."
For their part, the TSA claims you can opt out of the facial recognition (where your ID would be scanned and matched manually to your live face by the TSO, as it is with the current CAT system) with no negative impact (additional screening time, SSSS, patdown/body scan/luggage search etc.)
Seems like it could potentially reduce TSO workload. I don't think it'll be any faster than the current CAT system or boarding pass checking, and the existing CAT system already checks IDs for security features to determine if they're counterfeit or not.
Washington Post - TSA now wants to scan your face at security. Here are your rights.
The list of some airports that are testing it (with no guarantee that the pilot will be in your terminal/security line/active at the time you transit) is included in the article.
For brevity here: ATL, BOS, BWI, DCA, DEN, DFW, DTW, GPT, JAN, LAS, MCO, PHX, SJC, SLC.
Unlike the prior video from Denver, the WaPo article shows a picture of the IDEMIA passport reader and E-Seek M500 ID scanner turned around towards the passenger. Essentially, you would never actually hand over your ID to the TSA officer - you would stick your passport or ID card in the appropriate reader, and then the screen would take a photo, compare the two, and tell the TSO if it matched automatically.
The TSA claims (per article) it's more accurate than human matching and that small differences in facial appearance like facial hair, change of hairstyle have "negligible negative impact" and it's ultimately the TSO's discretion to do what they've always done (match you manually) if the machine facial recognition doesn't do it automatically.
For the privacy portion the TSA claims that in most cases, the facial recognition data (data pulled from ID and the live photo) is immediately overwritten. As it is a pilot though, there are "cases in which it holds on to the data for up to 24 months for effectiveness."
For their part, the TSA claims you can opt out of the facial recognition (where your ID would be scanned and matched manually to your live face by the TSO, as it is with the current CAT system) with no negative impact (additional screening time, SSSS, patdown/body scan/luggage search etc.)
Seems like it could potentially reduce TSO workload. I don't think it'll be any faster than the current CAT system or boarding pass checking, and the existing CAT system already checks IDs for security features to determine if they're counterfeit or not.
Dec 5, 2022, 10:31 am
#140
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 20,639
Moderator's Note:
I found a little more information.
Washington Post - TSA now wants to scan your face at security. Here are your rights.
Washington Post - TSA now wants to scan your face at security. Here are your rights.
Thank you,
TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator
Dec 6, 2022, 3:35 pm
#142
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: CoUniHound 1K 1MM, AA EXP 2MM, DL Plat, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,625
TSA was using this at MIA Sunday evening, at Terminal D checkpoint 1. Pre-Check. They had one of these set up next to a standard ID checkpoint. There was something of a line as MIA was busy and I didn't notice any difference in speed between the two checkpoints.
May 12, 2023, 2:37 pm
#143
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,061
Has anyone here been sent back to the airline ticket counter for a CAT VID check? I've not seen something like this before. The closest I came to this was when I had done a same day flight change a few minutes before the TDC. The TSO at the TDC saw my original flight details on the screen, not my new flight information, but I wasn't sent back to the ticket counter.
In this situation the OP had booked the flight the night before and had flown on a similar itinerary the other week without any issues.
In this situation the OP had booked the flight the night before and had flown on a similar itinerary the other week without any issues.
Jun 9, 2023, 5:39 am
#144
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: Mileageplus
Posts: 245
Has anyone here been sent back to the airline ticket counter for a CAT VID check? I've not seen something like this before. The closest I came to this was when I had done a same day flight change a few minutes before the TDC. The TSO at the TDC saw my original flight details on the screen, not my new flight information, but I wasn't sent back to the ticket counter.
In this situation the OP had booked the flight the night before and had flown on a similar itinerary the other week without any issues.
In this situation the OP had booked the flight the night before and had flown on a similar itinerary the other week without any issues.
Nov 24, 2023, 4:46 pm
#145
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,061
I saw a sign in the Precheck Lane at Terminal 1 at HNL this morning with the following two links:
https://www.tsa.gov/biometrics-technology
https://www.tsa.gov/digital-id
The TDC was using the camera and having passengers place their ID on a scanner, but I did see that there was a reader for the digital ID, and the sign indicated that using an eligible digital ID was possible. I don't have the California DMV Wallet App since before going to the TSA link I didn't know such a thing existed for CA. (It appears to be in a pilot stage for CA.) I can look to enroll next week if possible and report back since SJC is on the list.
https://www.tsa.gov/biometrics-technology
https://www.tsa.gov/digital-id
The TDC was using the camera and having passengers place their ID on a scanner, but I did see that there was a reader for the digital ID, and the sign indicated that using an eligible digital ID was possible. I don't have the California DMV Wallet App since before going to the TSA link I didn't know such a thing existed for CA. (It appears to be in a pilot stage for CA.) I can look to enroll next week if possible and report back since SJC is on the list.
Nov 25, 2023, 9:38 am
#146
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Colorado (anywhere between DEN DMM BAH)
Programs: United MileagePlus, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, NEXUS
Posts: 3,030
I saw a sign in the Precheck Lane at Terminal 1 at HNL this morning with the following two links:
https://www.tsa.gov/biometrics-technology
https://www.tsa.gov/digital-id
The TDC was using the camera and having passengers place their ID on a scanner, but I did see that there was a reader for the digital ID, and the sign indicated that using an eligible digital ID was possible. I don't have the California DMV Wallet App since before going to the TSA link I didn't know such a thing existed for CA. (It appears to be in a pilot stage for CA.) I can look to enroll next week if possible and report back since SJC is on the list.
https://www.tsa.gov/biometrics-technology
https://www.tsa.gov/digital-id
The TDC was using the camera and having passengers place their ID on a scanner, but I did see that there was a reader for the digital ID, and the sign indicated that using an eligible digital ID was possible. I don't have the California DMV Wallet App since before going to the TSA link I didn't know such a thing existed for CA. (It appears to be in a pilot stage for CA.) I can look to enroll next week if possible and report back since SJC is on the list.
Nov 25, 2023, 9:51 am
#147
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 20,639
The TDC was using the camera and having passengers place their ID on a scanner, but I did see that there was a reader for the digital ID, and the sign indicated that using an eligible digital ID was possible. I don't have the California DMV Wallet App since before going to the TSA link I didn't know such a thing existed for CA. (It appears to be in a pilot stage for CA.) I can look to enroll next week if possible and report back since SJC is on the list.
Dec 1, 2023, 3:09 pm
#148
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,061
I was actually flying out of SFO T1 today. While one TDC station, the one I was using, had the photo capture set up, the TSO said that they only accepted the mobile DL in Terminal 3 as of now. They seemed to at least be familiar with it.
Dec 4, 2023, 12:22 pm
#149
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: AA, AS, Marriott
Posts: 6,061
I failed again to use my digital driver's license. This time it was at JFK T8. The TSO was willing to let me try at least, but I don't think the QR code scanner was active. I did notice the screen at the adjacent TDC stand, which wasn't in use at the time, listed digital ID as one of the credentials. The station where I was had different wording that specifically mentioned presenting a physical document.
Feb 28, 2024, 12:04 am
#150
Join Date: May 2007
Location: The Emerald City
Programs: 1MM AA - finally
Posts: 362
TSA at SAN refused to let minor use CAT
My 11 year old daughter handed her Global Entry card to the ID checker today and the agent absolutely refused to use it. She insisted I fish out the boarding pass on my phone and scan that.
If I wanted to fish out our boarding passes I would have gone through Clear.
Only time at a location the Credential Authentication Technology that has ever refused her, all of our kids have had Global Entry for over a year and we use it whenever Clear is backed up more than precheck.
If I wanted to fish out our boarding passes I would have gone through Clear.
Only time at a location the Credential Authentication Technology that has ever refused her, all of our kids have had Global Entry for over a year and we use it whenever Clear is backed up more than precheck.