The TSA Is Testing Ways to Eventually Keep Laptops in Bags for Everybody
The Transportation Security Administration is testing a screening method that may eventually result in passengers, even those who do not have TSA PreCheck, keeping laptops in their bags. The TSA is trying out the new screening in Las Vegas and may one day expand it nationwide.
On Tuesday the TSA announced that it had opened a new facility on the lower level of Terminal 3 at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, part of what the agency has dubbed the Advancing the Checkpoint Environment program or ACE.
"This is a space that will allow us to assess new technology and processes," said Jose Bonilla, the director of TSA's Innovation Task Force, on a conference call. "It will allow us to demonstrate a unique network of capabilities without impacting their current operation."
The regular Terminal 3 TSA checkpoints are on the building's upper level, but the ACE facility is located downstairs. For now, only domestic passengers flying United Airlines will be able to use ACE lanes, though an airport representative said that could expand to other domestic and international airlines in the future. The checkpoint is also only open for approximately four hours a day Sunday through Thursday.
For passengers, going through ACE can mean they get to leave their laptops in their bags even if they don't have Precheck, and also may mean a faster security screening overall, since fewer passengers will be processed through the experimental lanes than the traditional ones. Passengers who get sent to the ACE lanes — at the TSA's discretion — will bypass the traditional checkpoints in Terminal 3.
Related: The Top 7 Cards for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck
For now, the main trials at LAS involve advanced imaging machines that use CT technology to look into your carry-on bags. The resulting images are more detailed than traditional X-ray scans, and that is why passengers may leave items in their bags. Similar machines are being tested at other airports, too, including at JFK's Terminal 8. As ACE gets up to speed, other new technologies and procedures will likely be introduced. One of the primary purposes of the ACE facility is to allow multiple different kinds of technology and procedures to be tested in conjunction with each other.
Even in the ACE lanes, though, Bonilla said passengers currently still have to remove their liquids and take off their shoes. But, he added, that may not be the case forever: "The procedures will change as the technology evolves."
Bonilla said that feedback from passengers who pass through the ACE lanes and the agents who manage them will be important in evaluating the new technologies being tested there, and can help the TSA decide if and how to roll new machines and procedures out more broadly.
So far, according to Bonilla, passengers seem to like the innovations that have been introduced. The ACE lanes had a "soft launch" on June 19.
"When we kicked it off, the very first two passengers that came by were a couple," he said. "Their first question was 'Oh my God, are you going to do this everywhere?'" Although the tests at ACE are not necessarily a precursor to new screening procedures nationwide, Bonilla said they may eventually appear at other airports.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees