I tried to search for this, but couldn't find anything. So apologies if this has already been posted elsewhere.

Last night (Sunday) as I was leaving DFW to head to my new home city of SEA I went through the TSA checkpoint in the D concourse. As I got to the line I noticed two different types of x-ray machines. One was the typical older style, the other was a more modern looking machine. I was directed to the newer machine as it had the shorter line. Once I got to the machine, this is where, I had the most pleasant TSA experience ever.

I arrived at the machine and was getting ready to pull out the usual suspects. Laptop, freedom baggie, etc., when the agent said in a pleasant voice "you can leave everything in your bags, nothing needs to come out." My jaw drops at this point. You still have to put your coat in the tray, but was given the option to leave my shoes on if I wanted to use the Entryscan. I already had my shoes off at this point so I passed on the offer. Bags went through the x-ray and then down a corridor that is a clear plastic tube about 20 feet long where they can pull bags if needed and the pax cannot touch them. Once through the bags come out and you are on your way. The belt seems to move a bit slower than the normal x-ray belt, but doesn�t do the start stop thing, so it seemed to be faster to me. If this is the new way, then I have to say TSA may finally have gotten something right.
This is what I saw as a benefit from the experience:
1. Nothing has to come out of the bag. Simply drop and go.
2. System seems faster, with no congregation or back-up at the retrieving end of the x-ray or stopping of the belt
3. Shoes can stay on, if you want the puffer.
4. Actually, pleasant people working the line (may have been an anomaly, but I will take what I can get)
Downsides that I saw
1. Still have to have an ID to get past
2. Shoes still have to come off if you don�t want the puffer.
3. Still have stupid liquid ban, and don�t ask me how the �verify� that you have your stuff in a baggie.
Overall I was very pleased and surprised. Has anyone else run into this new system?

I believe this is the "new" (old) 3D screening technology. If it gives a good 3D view of the bag which you can rotate, zoom, etc, then it shouldn't be too hard to see the baggie and the size of the containers inside.

Same goes for seeing "through" the laptop-- no problem; just rotate.

Of course, you still have to remove all metal objects from your pockets, cell phone, etc. For me, that's almost more annoying than pulling out my laptop (which is just one thing). So glad to hear about the freedom baggie! Hopefully they will get rid of that soon.

And the BIGGEST thing for me is no shoe removal! I think the TSA finally might have made a HUGE breakthrough!

Just curious, on a slightly different note--what was the ID check like? Any SPOT? Unusually slow?

Been going through the metal detector for my whole living memory lifetime (since the early 80s; I flew a few times in the late 1970s but don't remember being that age or whether they had metal detectors.)

I'm used to leaving my keys in the bag (if I bring them at all; if my wife if dropping me off/picking me up at the airport rather than doing long term parking, I usually just don't bring them) and slimming down anything extraneous in my wallet before going.