MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Technology that validates a traveler’s identification and confirms their flight information in near real time is being used at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Four new credential authentication technology (CAT) units are being used by Transportation Security Administration officers. In February, one CAT unit had been installed.
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When travelers go up to the TSA travel document podium, they put their driver’s license or passport into the CAT unit to be scanned instead of handing it to a TSA officer.
The CAT unit lets the TSA officer know whether the ID is valid. It also verifies that the traveler is prescreened to travel out of the airport for a flight that day.
In most cases, travelers do not have to show their boarding passes. However, a boarding pass might be requested for travelers under the age of 18 or those with ID issues.
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The CAT units do not eliminate the need for travelers to check in with their airline in advance, and a boarding pass is still needed at the gate before boarding a flight.
“CAT units authenticate several thousand types of IDs, including passports, military common access cards, retired military ID cards, Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler ID cards, uniformed services ID cards, permanent resident cards, U.S. visas and driver’s licenses and photo IDs issued by state motor vehicle departments,” a news release said.
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CAT units will not accept driver’s licenses after the Oct. 1, 2021, deadline for travelers to have a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or other acceptable form of identification.
Cox Media Group
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