November 19th, 2020 – Going through the TSA screening checkpoint at MacArthur Airport will now be more efficient as new technology is in use. The TSA’s new Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) validates a traveler’s photo ID, and connects that information to an appropriate flight reservation prior to allowing the person to proceed through screening into the sterile area of the airport.
Here’s how it works. At the security checkpoint, a TSA officer will ask the traveler to provide their photo ID. The TSA officer will insert the photo ID into the CAT unit where it will be scanned and analyzed, and then the customer will proceed through the remainder of the screening process. While a boarding pass will not be needed at the checkpoint, passengers will still need to check-in with their airline and show their boarding pass to the airline gate agent before boarding their flight.
The CAT units are designed and programmed to verify if a traveler’s ID is authentic, fraudulent or expired. Additionally, CAT is linked electronically to the Secure Flight database, confirming the details of travel, ensuring the traveler is ticketed for that day, and indicating if the traveler is eligible for TSA PreCheck.
“Credential Authentication Technology is a tool that helps our TSA officers detect fraudulent IDs, and quickly confirm the traveler’s flight information,” said Robert Duffy, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “It’s an additional layer of security, that also minimizes time spent handling various documents, and enabling air customers to move quickly through screening and board their flights,” he added.
“Long Island MacArthur Airport has some of the newest airport security technology the TSA has in service, ´said Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter. “In September, TSA upgraded to new high-tech 3-D imagery of baggage contents at MacArthur Airport. This latest investment of Credential Authenticity Technology further indicates the TSA’s commitment to safety and security. The process also minimizes a potential touch point by not requiring boarding passes at security. The process will take just 3-12 seconds, which is a time-saver as our customers rediscover travel when the time is right for their circumstances,” said Supervisor Carpenter.
The CAT system can scan approximately 2,500 different IDs and passports, including US and Canadian driver’s licenses, each state’s DMV photo IDs, standard passports, and Permanent Residence Card/Resident Alien Card. No data is permanently stored in the CAT unit. For the period that the data is stored in the CAT system, it is on an encrypted hard drive. When the REAL ID Act compliance is enforced beginning Oct 1, 2021, non-compliant state identification will not be considered a valid form of ID. TSA’s full list of valid IDs is posted on its Website at www.TSA.gov.
