This is going to help relieve ticket lobby congestion in at least part of Chicago’s close-in Midway Airport (MDW) - and make checked bags move faster too.
A new $42-million inline baggage handling system recently replaced nine bulky, lobby-located explosive detection systems (EDS) in the north half of the ticketing lobby at MDW. Now, checked luggage bound for the bellies of airplanes is screened behind-the-scenes on a conveyor system.
The inline set-up is designed to process as many as 4,500 pieces of luggage per hour. If it performs up to specs, that will make it three times faster than the previous stand-alone EDS set-up. Inline systems are also touted as less labor intensive. That means Transportation Security Administration officers can be better deployed around airports, at security checkpoints on in training.
While inline is operating just in the north half of Midway Airport’s ticket lobby right now, look for the south half to get the same treatment July 18. Over at far larger Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), inline baggage screening is now a fact of life in Terminals 1 and 5. The re-check system at Terminal 5 handles some 20 percent of ORD’s entire checked luggage.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
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