TSA’s New CT Scanners: What Vacationers Must Know

At a rising variety of airports, passengers not should fish their laptop computer or bag of travel-size liquids out of their carry-on baggage earlier than sending it via the X-ray machine. Instead, each can keep packed because of a brand new era of computed tomography (CT) scanners which might be steadily changing conventional checkpoint gear throughout the nation.

The improve is a part of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) yearslong effort to modernize airport safety. After first testing CT scanners at a handful of airports in 2018, the company has steadily expanded the know-how throughout the nation. As of July 6, TSA had put in 1,162 CT scanners at 296 airports, in keeping with a TSA spokesperson, with plans to proceed changing its current X-ray fleet as funding permits.

The scanners don’t simply make life simpler for vacationers. They additionally enhance safety by creating high-resolution, three-dimensional pictures that TSA officers can rotate and examine from a number of angles, decreasing the necessity for hands-on bag checks.

But the know-how comes with an sudden trade-off.

The openings on the CT scanners are smaller than these of lots of the older X-ray machines they’re changing. But earlier than you panic about your carry-on becoming via: This isn’t prone to have an effect on most vacationers. Even bigger baggage that push the higher finish of airline carry-on measurement limits—such because the expanded model of the Away Bigger Carry-On Flex—ought to nonetheless match via the scanner, which measures 24.5 inches broad by 16.5 inches tall. The concern is extra prone to come up with baggage that exceed typical carry-on dimensions or have unusually cumbersome wheels, handles, or overstuffed exterior pockets.

If that occurs, TSA officers will both manually display screen the bag or direct the traveler to a different safety lane with out the CT scanners, in keeping with the company. Even although laptops and liquids can keep packed for these within the CT scanner lanes, TSA nonetheless requires all belongings—together with carry-on baggage, jackets, and different private objects—to be positioned in a screening bin.

As the know-how turns into extra widespread, it’s additionally altering one of many greatest sensible variations between the usual screening course of and TSA PreCheck. One of the expedited screening program’s marquee perks has lengthy been permitting members to maintain their laptops and liquids packed, however as CT scanners turn out to be extra frequent in common screening lanes, vacationers with out PreCheck are more and more getting the identical comfort.

TSA, nonetheless, says PreCheck’s worth extends properly past the scanners.

“As CT scanners become more common in standard lanes, TSA PreCheck retains unique advantages such as expedited screening, shorter lines, and fewer requirements for removing shoes, belts, and light jackets—benefits not tied to CT scanner deployment,” a TSA spokesperson informed Afar. However, it’s price mentioning that in July 2025, TSA eradicated the long-standing requirement for many passengers to take away their footwear at safety checkpoints, citing improved screening know-how. That stated, vacationers can nonetheless be requested to take away them for added screening or different safety causes (as an illustration in the event that they include sufficient metallic to set off the detectors), but it surely’s not a normal requirement.

“TSA will continue to adapt PreCheck as technology and traveler expectations evolve, and CT scanners are also being installed in some PreCheck lanes at select airports,” the TSA spokesperson stated.

For now, vacationers ought to proceed following directions from TSA officers, since many airports nonetheless function a mixture of conventional X-ray machines and CT scanners. But as the brand new know-how expands, vacationers can count on a extra constant checkpoint expertise—one the place unpacking a carry-on is changing into much less frequent.