New security checkpoint lanes aim to reduce wait times at Logan Airport

Officials from the Transportation Security Administration and Massport have introduced the new automated screening lanes at Logan Airport's terminal C.David L Ryan/Globe Staff

Passengers traveling out of Boston at Logan International Airport may experience less waiting in security lines, thanks to new automated screening lanes recently installed at the airport.

The Transportation Security Administration and Massachusetts Port Authority on Wednesday announced the debut of two of the automated lanes at the TSA security checkpoint in Logan’s Terminal C. Terminals A and B will also have more of the new lanes installed “in the near future,” the TSA and Massport said in a statement.

“The security of the traveling public is TSA’s primary focus and Massport is an important partner in that mission,” TSA Federal Security Director for Massachusetts and Maine Bob Allison said in the statement. “This technology allows us to improve the passenger experience for travelers at Logan while maintaining the highest level of security.”

The TSA and Massport said the new screening lanes include features “designed to improve the screening process for travelers,” including:

■  Stainless steel countertops designed specifically to enable several passengers to place their items in bins simultaneously;

■  Automated conveyor belts that move bins into the X-ray machine tunnel and return the bins to the front of the security checkpoint;

■  Automatic diversion of any carry-on bag that may contain a prohibited item; this diversion to a separate location allows other bins containing other travelers’ belongings to continue through the screening process uninterrupted;

■  Bins that are 25 percent larger than a typical bin and are able to hold a roll-aboard bag;

■  Unique Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags that are attached to each bin, allowing for additional accountability of a traveler’s carry-on property as they move throughout the security screening process; and

■  Cameras that capture photographic images of the contents of each bin and are linked side- by-side to the X-ray image of a carry-on bag’s contents.

“When we look at improving the security checkpoint process for our passengers, we look for ways to make it easier and faster while making the airport safer,” Massport chief executive Thomas P. Glynn said in the statement. “These new machines simplify the process and allow the TSA officers to focus more on security rather than returning bins to passengers waiting in line.”

Logan Airport joins the list of one dozen US airports that have received the automated lanes. The TSA said that 108 of the new lanes have been installed at airports including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport.

David L Ryan/Globe Staff