Challenge
As the U.S. prepares for a decade of mega-events, airports and agencies are bracing for record-breaking passenger volumes. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screens approximately two million passengers per day. However, that number needs to increase quickly to keep pace with rising air traffic. In 2028, TSA is predicted to screen over three million passengers on 100 days or more.
As Austin Gould, President of Gould Strategic Solutions and former Acting Executive Assistant Administrator for Operations Support at the TSA, said during Synect’s 2024 FTE Global panel:
“Airports aren’t getting bigger everywhere. The only way to get more people through the same stuff is to do it more efficiently.”
Passenger anxiety often spikes at the security checkpoint. A loss of control, unknown wait times, confusing divestment procedures, and other challenges create stress for passengers, while airports can see high customer complaints in an area they don’t control.
Approach
To address these challenges, TSA and Synect partnered to launch the latest expansion of our Better, Faster Security Checkpoints program. Building on years of collaboration and successful deployments at some of the busiest airports in the country, this new program is focused on delivering an efficient, passenger-friendly checkpoint experience.
In legacy security checkpoints, passengers must rely on static physical signage and sporadic verbal instructions from Transportation Security Officers (TSOs). Unclear policies and unexpected interruptions make the checkpoint feel chaotic.
Rather than relying on static signs outside of security, Synect’s new solutions ensure passengers can consistently access timely, relevant information as they move through the checkpoint. Calming audio cues share helpful tips in the moments when passengers can’t look at screens.
Synect’s ReadySeeGo solution is the only digital signage and visual communication solution in the CRPG, and this launch builds on the success of existing programs deployed at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport, Lehigh Valley International Airport, and elsewhere across the U.S. With content is designed to engage, inform, entertain, and educate passengers, Synect's solutions optimize passengers’ checkpoint experiences while streamlining checkpoint operations.
Power in Numbers
Solution
Synect's expanded suite of ReadySeeGo displays includes three form factors with new capabilities, including audio, to help passengers move through divestment and screening with more clarity, more confidence, more efficiency, and less stress.
ReadySeeGo Vision
The classic portable tower’s 600x3840 pixel display is impossible to miss. With a library of Synect-created content, these bright, vertical displays enhance the passenger experience by:
Engaging passengers
Educating them on current checkpoint procedures
Entertaining them during the wait
Decreasing perceived wait times by sharing real-time updates
Easy to install and easy to move, ReadySeeGo Vision replaces traditional print stanchions to create a welcoming, informative, modernized checkpoint environment.
ReadySeeGo Glance
Small-footprint, high-impact 1080x1920 displays deliver just-in-time information precisely where passengers need it, replacing paper stanchion toppers. Each tablet delivers visual reminders for passengers to:
Have ID ready
Ensure any liquids follow TSA’s 3-1-1 rule
Empty pockets before reaching the bins
Replacing paper stanchion toppers, ReadySeeGo Glance sets passengers up for success as they enter the queue.
ReadySeeGo Focus
Contextually located just above the conveyor belts and bins, Focus delivers audio and visual instructions to help passengers divest and prepare for screening smoothly. The custom content, 1920x540 display, and accompanying audio solution share instructions on:
How to load their luggage onto bins and belts
Which items should be taken out of bags
What items must be moved to check baggage
Last-minute tips to ensure passengers are fully prepared to go through screening
Focus replaces the verbal instructions typically delivered by TSOs, creating a calmer checkpoint and freeing up manpower to accelerate screening.
Rather than relying on static, printed signage that can quickly become outdated, or inconsistent verbal instructions from rushed TSOs, passengers can rely on intuitive, always-accurate digital content and engaging media. Policies and procedures are explained visually, making it easier for them to understand what they need to do to move through the checkpoint easily. The content is also revised in collaboration with TSA to ensure the latest rules are accurately reflected.
Together, this system creates an intuitive communication program that evolves as passengers move through the checkpoint, reducing uncertainty and empowering passengers to prepare with less assistance from TSOs.
Results
The expanded solution was installed overnight to minimize disruptions to checkpoint operations and launched in two airports near Washington D.C. Designed to be temporary but easily maintained, the installation introduced a new suite of digital signage content and solutions to keep passengers informed and engaged at every step through the checkpoint.
Each ReadySeeGo display, whether small, medium, or large, delivers information to passengers in a place and manner that minimizes the need for verbal intervention from checkpoint agents, creating calmer, more orderly, and more efficient checkpoints.
Feedback on this new solution has been overwhelmingly positive. According to one airport stakeholder, it has reduced wait times at each checkpoint and decreased congestion during high traffic periods, increasing average throughput.
Passengers have also responded positively to the experience. New audio instructions are easier to follow, and the soothing voiceovers make the checkpoint experience less stressful. With more time to prepare for divestment, lines move more quickly. Engaging content occupies their time in the queue, making waits feel even shorter.
Communicating early, often, and effectively is critical for improving passengers’ experiences. We’re honored to have our Better, Faster Security Checkpoints Program featured in TSA’s Checkpoint Requirements and Planning Guide (CRPG), and the new solution represents another major step forward in creating calm, orderly checkpoints that benefit everyone, as Austin Gould said during Synect’s panel at FTE Global 2024:
“A calm, sterile checkpoint is the way to go. If effective communication can help shave off a second or two for over two million passengers, you’ve really done something.”
With Synect’s expanded suite of security solutions, it’s easier to accomplish than ever.
Streamline Security
Reduce perceived waits
Project Goals
Delight Passengers
Inform, engage, and educate
Enhance efficiency
Give TSOs more time
