New Orleans airport is making TSA checkpoint faster
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The airport is adding two more security lanes and new screening equipment. Photo: Transportation Security Administration
TSA is installing new machines at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport so passengers don't have to remove liquids, computers or electronics from their carry-on bags.
Why it matters: The goal is to get you through security and onto your flight faster.
The big picture: Officials are upgrading the TSA security checkpoint at MSY ahead of Taylor Swift's shows and Super Bowl LIX.
- The work started a few months ago and should be finished before New Orleans hosts the big game in February, TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz told Axios.
- When finished, there will be 17 TSA lanes instead of 15 at MSY. Eleven will have the new equipment, she said.
How it works: Passengers will put their carry-on bag inside new, larger bins onto a conveyer belt.
- The new computed tomography scanners take a 3D image of the contents of each carry-on bag.
- TSA officers can rotate the images to view the contents, the agency said, without having to open a bag.
- The new screening process offers "enhanced security as well as an expedited screening experience," Arden Hudson, TSA's Federal Security director for Louisiana, said in a statement.
Yes, but: You still have to take off your shoes, belt and coat to go through security, Koshetz said.
- And, if you go through one of the six lanes with older equipment, you'll need to take out your liquids and electronics too.
- TSA officers will alert passengers about specific directions for each lane, Koshetz said.
Caveat: These rules don't apply to TSA PreCheck passengers, Koshetz said. They can leave their shoes on and leave everything in their bag, regardless of the lane.
- PreCheck is a security screening option you complete in advance with in-person fingerprinting. It costs about $80 for a 5-year membership.
Zoom in: Travelers will see other changes at the airport's security checkpoint, TSA says.
- The new lanes have more space for passengers to load bags onto the conveyer belts.
- The conveyer belts are now automated and move the bins into the screening tunnel and then return them to the front of the security checkpoint.
- The machine will automatically divert bags with questionable items to a secure belt, allowing other bags to continue on the regular belt.
Zoom out: Passenger complaints related to TSA are lower at the New Orleans airport than the national average, according to the Data Liberation Project.
- MSY ranked No. 23 in terms of airports with the most complaints. Newark, JFK and Washington Dulles had the most complaints.
- In New Orleans, most of the complaints were about TSA PreCheck, the data shows.
What's next: The REAL ID requirements go into effect May 7, 2025. Make sure you upgrade your Louisiana driver's license before then if you use it to fly.