Technical

An EDS Primer The Aviation and Transportation Security Act (The Act) fundamentally transforms the US aviation and transportation security requirements with new regulations mandating:

• Inspection of 100% of checked baggage for airline passengers
• Inspection of air freight, cargo and mail carried on commercial airliners
• Improvement of inspection processes for ports, rail and facilities

Current Solutions As of 2004, airline checked baggage must be screened electronically, using TSA Certified Explosive Detection Systems (EDS) or Explosives Trace Detection (ETD) technology. As of this writing, all certified EDS systems utilize Computed Tomography (CT scan) technology. There are two broad categories of EDS machines currently available:

• Stand-alone machines which will be deployed in “lobby” installations
• Integrated machines which will be deployed in “in-line” installations

Lobby Installations

The two primary advantages of the lobby installations are the quick implementation time and the fact that passengers are present if their bag is identified for physical search.

However, this alternative is labor intensive, consumes valuable terminal lobby space, and is not convenient for the passenger.

In-Line Baggage Screening

The alternative is to install EDS machines directly into the airport baggage conveyor system. The three primary advantages of the in-line EDS solution are annual labor savings of 75% compared to lobby installations due to the networking of the on screen resolution process, freeing up of lobby space, and a check-in process similar to that of pre-9-11 where passengers only need to queue once.

This option requires massive modification to the baggage conveyor system and airport infrastructure in order to add the EDS equipment, conveyors, and bag tracking systems. In Many airports, new buildings or extensions will be required to physically house the baggage screening equipment and personnel. Some Government estimates project up to $5 billion in equipment and airport infrastructure will be required to achieve the 100% inspection mandate using the in-line solution.

Besides the infrastructure cost, the in-line alternative creates operational challenges since it increases the transit time for checked bags between check-in and aircraft loading due to the additional baggage movement and processing.