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New TSA Credential Authentication Technology ID Scanners - No Boarding Pass Required

Old Mar 2, 2022, 5:22 pm
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Last edit by: TWA884
From the TSA website:

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 checkers 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)
  • Drivers or enhanced drivers 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 drivers 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)
  • BirminghamShuttlesworth 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)
  • AkronCanton 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)
  • GulfportBiloxi International Airport (GPT)
  • Green BayAustin Straubel International Airport (GRB)
  • Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR)
  • Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO)
  • GreenvilleSpartanburg 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)
  • JacksonMedgar 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)
  • ManchesterBoston 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 OHare 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)
  • RoanokeBlacksburg 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)
  • SpringfieldBranson National Airport (SGF)
  • Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV)
  • San Jose International Airport (SJC)
  • Luis Muoz Marn International Airport (San Juan Airport) (SJU)
  • Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
  • Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
  • John Wayne Airport (SNA)
  • SarasotaBradenton 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)
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New TSA Credential Authentication Technology ID Scanners - No Boarding Pass Required

Old Jun 10, 2017, 3:57 am
  #16  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
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Originally Posted by exerda
That's an interesting point. You'd think it would.




Yes, and one worry is that the screener will rely too much on the machine and not really pay close attention to whether the ID matches the pax or is not tampered with in any way (or that the TSO can judge that accurately, which is another matter altogether). "But the machine said they're good!" I worry about such false sense of security through relying too much on technology...




There's a RFQ for a BPA out there right now regarding the follow-on to STIP which would bring back online most of the checkpoint screening devices. I'd be interested to see what they (the TSA) intend to do with linking the CAT, SecureFlight, WTMD, checked baggage x-rays, etc., in any kind of fashion which makes a remote degree of sense.

As I work for one of the companies potentially bidding on that BPA, I won't hazard to think what we'd do with it (nor is the TSA work in my domain), but I am genuinely curious what TSA wants to get out of such a system.
I hate the idea of TSA pouring millions of dollars into another new machine which may or may not work the way they intend, but I also tend to prefer relying on machines more than TSOs. If there is a machine that can scan an ID and run it against the NFL, then scan a BP and run it against the airlines' records to ensure validity, then the purpose of the ID/BP check is accomplished - ensuring that only ticketed passengers are screened and allowed into the sterile area. There is of course a possibility of a Bad Guy using someone else's legitimate ID to book a flight and gain entry into the sterile area, but I consider that to be a low risk, if TSA actually does its real job, which is physical screening for WEI.

Eliminate the TSO TDC and you'll reduce TSA staffing needs by 1-2 personnel at each c/p across the country. Combine that with belts equipped with automatic tub returns, which eliminate more TSA busy work, and you've really got something.

The real improvement would come by eliminating the war on water and the entire SPOT program, re-focusing the efforts of the remaining personnel on finding actual WEI instead of purses with images of guns, lightsaber canes, snow globes, shampoo, perfume bottles, and cupcakes. But one step at a time.
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Old Jun 19, 2017, 9:21 am
  #17  
 
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No more boarding pass at PreCheck?

I am in the new TK lounge at IAD awaiting a DL flight to ATL. Just went through the Pre lane here at IAD and I did not have to show my boarding pass. The TSA agent took my ID and ran it through some sort of scanner? It reminded me of the thing they use at the bank to run your check through...

There was a supervisor of some sort (he seemed to be a contractor) watching closely with a pen and paper. The TSA agent then handed me back my ID and sent me (and everyone else I saw in line before/after) through.

Anyone know anything about this?
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Old Jul 31, 2017, 7:02 pm
  #18  
 
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No Boarding Pass Required at TSA PreCheck Lane

Local Austin news channel reported that airport security started testing validation of PreCheck via photo ID only (effective July 27); i.e. no boarding pass required.

It seems like this might move PreCheck line faster given there's no need to scrutinize a boarding pass, and perhaps removes the barrier when traveling on an airline that didn't support PreCheck. It's not entirely clear, though, as the article states that the technology verifies the ID and cross-references the "secure flight database". I wonder if that means it only checks if you have PreCheck, or have PreCheck -and- you appear to have a flight that day and on a PreCheck-supported airline? If the latter restrictions are lifted, in theory a PreCheck member not flying that day could accompany friends and family to the gate who are flying out, or meet them at the gate upon arrival like the good, old days.
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Old Jul 31, 2017, 7:10 pm
  #19  
 
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Originally Posted by livebetter_travelmore
Local Austin news channel reported that airport security started testing validation of PreCheck via photo ID only (effective July 27); i.e. no boarding pass required.

It seems like this might move PreCheck line faster given there's no need to scrutinize a boarding pass, and perhaps removes the barrier when traveling on an airline that didn't support PreCheck. It's not entirely clear, though, as the article states that the technology verifies the ID and cross-references the "secure flight database". I wonder if that means it only checks if you have PreCheck, or have PreCheck -and- you appear to have a flight that day and on a PreCheck-supported airline? If the latter restrictions are lifted, in theory a PreCheck member not flying that day could accompany friends and family to the gate who are flying out, or meet them at the gate upon arrival like the good, old days.
"Secure Flight Passenger Data" is the section of each airline reservation where the traveler's Name, gender and DOB are recorded. A lookup of a "secure flight database" would only match your driver license if someone with your same name, gender, date of birth, was also traveling from that airport that same day.
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Old Aug 2, 2017, 11:53 am
  #20  
 
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No Boarding Pass Required at TSA

At the end of June, I was on a flight from IAD and TSA at IAD pre-check had a new device that looked kind of like an old Dell computer tower. Instead of the checker looking at my boarding pass, she put the ID through a vertical slit in the machine, waited about 5 seconds for it to spit out, and waived me through. She specifically told me she didn't want to see my BP.

Anyone know what is going on here? Are they using the ID to match directly with Secure Flight data to access my flight details at the TSA checkpoint?

On my other flights since, I have not seen this device again.
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Old Aug 2, 2017, 7:25 pm
  #21  
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If all you present is an ID (and no boarding pass with barcode), how does the "scanning" work?

I'm asking because I know many people, myself included, who use our passport or Global Entry, Nexus, or passport cards as ID at the checkpoints because we do not want to show an ID that includes our home address. These documents do not have barcodes, although they do have machine-readable strips (MRZs).
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Old Aug 2, 2017, 9:15 pm
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by ESpen36
If all you present is an ID (and no boarding pass with barcode), how does the "scanning" work?

I'm asking because I know many people, myself included, who use our passport or Global Entry, Nexus, or passport cards as ID at the checkpoints because we do not want to show an ID that includes our home address. These documents do not have barcodes, although they do have machine-readable strips (MRZs).
Given pretty much all International travellers will be using a passport, I'm sure it'll just use the MRZ (Or even just read the text for non MRZ passports).
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Old Aug 9, 2017, 12:11 am
  #23  
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Originally Posted by ESpen36
If all you present is an ID (and no boarding pass with barcode), how does the "scanning" work?

I'm asking because I know many people, myself included, who use our passport or Global Entry, Nexus, or passport cards as ID at the checkpoints because we do not want to show an ID that includes our home address. These documents do not have barcodes, although they do have machine-readable strips (MRZs).
Well, it's brand new bio fingerprints technology. You can wave with your fingers. They will have your background checks. If you go through PreCheck. You don't have to show your BP to TSO. You still required show your ID.

Here's a link:


Listen to this.
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Old Aug 9, 2017, 4:28 pm
  #24  
 
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Originally Posted by reclusive46
Given pretty much all International travellers will be using a passport, I'm sure it'll just use the MRZ (Or even just read the text for non MRZ passports).
Not a given. I do not show TSA my passport when travelling internationally and there is no requirement to do so. I show my passport card, but I could show my FL driver's license which is still valid, but has an incorrect address as I no longer live in the US.

The one time I showed the ID checker my passport, he took it upon himself to scrutinize every singe page (and I had 2 sets of extra pages in my passport - this was 6 or 7 years ago). It was none of his business to be looking through my passport; he only needed to verify ID.

I also had one TSA ID checker ask me for my passport when I presented my passport card with my boarding pass to an international destination (this was bout 3 years ago). I told him that I had presented him with a valid ID. He insisted for the passport saying that I needed a passport to fly to my destination. I told him that I knew that and that the airline verified my passport at check-in and that I could present him with any valid ID of my choosing and I chose to show him my passport card. End of discussion.
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Old Aug 9, 2017, 10:59 pm
  #25  
 
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Originally Posted by STBCypriot
Not a given. I do not show TSA my passport when travelling internationally and there is no requirement to do so. I show my passport card, but I could show my FL driver's license which is still valid, but has an incorrect address as I no longer live in the US.
Well it is a given for any non-US or Canadian citizen/residents.
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Old Aug 10, 2017, 12:05 pm
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by okamzikprosim
At the end of June, I was on a flight from IAD and TSA at IAD pre-check had a new device that looked kind of like an old Dell computer tower. Instead of the checker looking at my boarding pass, she put the ID through a vertical slit in the machine, waited about 5 seconds for it to spit out, and waived me through. She specifically told me she didn't want to see my BP.

Anyone know what is going on here? Are they using the ID to match directly with Secure Flight data to access my flight details at the TSA checkpoint?

On my other flights since, I have not seen this device again.
I had this as well earlier this week at IAD . . . just my passport (which was connected to the reservation when I checked in). But seemed like everyone was getting this treatment . . .
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Old Aug 14, 2017, 1:23 pm
  #27  
 
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There's a thread here on the testing of Credential Authentication Technology at IAD. They can insert it into the machine and use the info on the credential to validate it against secure flight (e.g. does the person actually have a flight booked) and against known security features of the credential.

In theory? It's no more or less secure than the current visual scan of a document and then scanning of the barcode (for TSA Precheck issuing carriers boarding passes are digitally signed which proves they were not tampered with since the airline issued them; for other airlines, it's basically plaintext validation at the airport).

Last edited by TWA884; Aug 14, 2017 at 3:02 pm Reason: Update link to referenced thread whose title was edited for clarity
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Old Aug 14, 2017, 3:08 pm
  #28  
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Smile Moderator's Note:

Originally Posted by phltraveler
There's a thread here on the testing of Credential Authentication Technology at IAD. They can insert it into the machine and use the info on the credential to validate it against secure flight (e.g. does the person actually have a flight booked) and against known security features of the credential.
Thanks. I remembered reading that thread and have been searching for it for the past couple of weeks. None of the keywords that I used in my searches turned it up.

I've now edited the title of that thread for clarity; hopefully, it will be easier to locate it in the future. I've also edited the link in your post to reflect the updated URL.

TWA884
Travel Safety/Security co-moderator
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Old Aug 17, 2017, 1:48 pm
  #29  
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BiometricUpdate.com:
DHS, TSA testing touch-free fingerprint scanners

Excerpts:
***

The touch-free scanners, developed by Advanced Optical Systems, Inc., allows travelers to use their fingerprints as their boarding pass and identity document.

The technology can only currently be used by TSA Precheck members, who provide their fingerprints upon enrolling in the program. Once the scanner matches fingerprints to those stored on the TSA Precheck system, it obtains the traveler’s boarding pass information and grants them access to their gate.

***

Tests are currently being conducted in select TSA Precheck lanes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and Denver International Airport, which were selected based on the expertise of local TSA teams, diverse passenger demographics, and the ability to integrate the technology without negatively affecting airport operations.

***
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Old Sep 6, 2017, 5:11 am
  #30  
 
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New Pre document check process?

Didn't find another thread on this...

At ORD T2 this morning TSA Pre document checker did not seem to require a BP scan: they looked up flight details by scanning drivers license. I changed my flight from AA to DL on Monday night, and it seems to have confused their system, as the checker asked whether I used to have an AA flight, then asked to scan my BP. But people ahead of me in the line clearly did not have to scan theirs.

Is this something new that I missed? Not having to scribble on paper BP or mess with dim screens or locked phones will certainly speed things up at Pre checkpoints.
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