Your next trip through South Bend International Airport security should be less cumbersome thanks to new technology being employed by the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, at the security checkpoint there.
South Bend International (SBN) is now using new technology in the form of a Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) machine at the security checkpoint that confirms the validity of a traveler’s identification and confirms their flight information in near real time.
When travelers approach the travel document checking podium, they will be asked to insert or scan their photo identification themselves if a CAT unit is in use. With CAT, there is no need to provide a boarding pass to the TSA officer.
Through a secure internet connection, the CAT unit verifies that the individual is ticketed for travel that day and whether they are eligible for TSA PreCheck or general security screening. Travelers still need to check-in with their airline and show their boarding pass to the airline gate agent before boarding their flight.
This technology will enhance TSA’s detection capabilities for identifying fraudulent documents and those that have been tampered with. CAT units can authenticate several thousand types of identification including passports; state-issued driver licenses and identification cards; as well as U.S. and foreign passports.
Use of the CAT eliminates the need for a traveler to physically give their photo identification to the TSA officer. This self-service opportunity reduces a touchpoint in the security checkpoint, helping travelers “Stay Healthy. Stay Secure.” during the spread of the coronavirus.
It is critical that travelers have a REAL ID-compliant drivers license or other acceptable form of identification by the October 1, 2021, REAL ID enforcement deadline. CAT units will not accept a state-issued driver license after that date if it is not REAL ID-compliant.
Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act enacted the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” That act and implementing regulations establish minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards and prohibit federal agencies including TSA from accepting driver’s licenses and identification cards from states that do not meet those standards for official purposes, such as getting through the airport security checkpoint to board a plane.
In the photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market, a TSA officer at South Bend International Airport operates a credential authentication technology unit at one of the checkpoints. The photo is courtesy of the TSA.
