New checkpoints opened Tuesday morning at Reagan National Airport, offering a speedier security process and what airport officials say is an upgraded experience befitting an airport that serves as a gateway to the nation’s capital.
The checkpoints are one element of a $1 billion plan that marks the airport’s most significant upgrades since the opening of two new terminals in 1997. The Project Journey program increased the number of checkpoints to 28 from the current 20, although the Transportation Security Administration began with 23 in operation.
“This is going to be fantastic for the passengers,” Jack Potter, president and chief executive of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said as he surveyed the new space Tuesday. He said opening on a day of the week when passenger traffic is lighter will enable officials to iron out any wrinkles before the holiday rush.
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The checkpoints are among the final pieces of a four-year facelift winding down nearly two years into a pandemic that rattled the travel industry. Airport boosters say the additional space and ease of travel will make National more appealing as domestic travel continues to rebound.
For passengers using the checkpoints on the morning of their debut, the early reviews were mostly positive.
“This is definitely a lot nicer,” Randy Stubbs said as he pulled his wheeled suitcase through the new space. “We’ll see if it’s more efficient.”
Less than 10 minutes later, Stubbs, a pilot from Southern Maryland who was headed to Dallas, texted his review from the other side of security: “Super fast. Pretty easy pre-check line. No issues.”
After some initial confusion, Arun Narayanan, wife Nivi and daughter Nalina found their way to the new checkpoints, where he said clearing security “was a breeze.” Looking around, Narayana marveled at the sheer amount of space.
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“The previous security area was pretty cramped,” he said. “It would get confusing, and you didn’t know which line was for screening and which line was for Starbucks.”
The opening of the new checkpoints change how passengers move through the airport. Dozens of airport and TSA personnel were on hand Tuesday to help them navigate their way to and through the new spaces.
The opening of the new security screening areas means the public no longer has access to National Hall, the glass-enclosed area known for its expansive views of the airfield and the Potomac River. As of Tuesday, that area was limited to ticketed passengers.
Instead of going to National Hall for screening, travelers are directed from the ticketing level down to one of two new 50,000-square-foot buildings across from Terminals B and C. Travelers without checked bags or luggage can access the area directly from the parking garage or Metro station. American Airlines passengers can check in and check bags near the Terminal C checkpoints, while Delta Air Lines passengers can do the same near the Terminal B checkpoints.
The opening of the checkpoints means the end of a maze of queues that made navigating National Hall — or even making a purchase at the Starbucks adjacent to National’s busiest checkpoint in Terminal C — a challenge in pre-pandemic times, when security lines routinely spilled into walkways. Such was often the case at an airport that routinely saw more than 23 million passengers move through its gates annually, even though it was designed to accommodate 15 million.
In 2020, amid the pandemic, the airport’s passenger traffic dropped to 7.6 million, compared with 23.9 million a year earlier. Officials say the new additions mean National is positioned to capitalize on the travel rebound.
On Tuesday, the spaces that previously housed the TSA checkpoints were sealed off. The unused screening equipment will eventually be relocated.
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“This is the first time this airport will have a purpose-built space for security,” said Ron Mildiner, the TSA’s deputy federal security director at National Airport, who worked with airport officials on the design of the new spaces.
Like many U.S. airports, National wasn’t designed with security requirements that went into effect in the months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Instead, airport officials made do with the spaces they had. Those were often spots with low ceilings and poor lighting that left little space for passengers to gather belongings post-screening or for TSA officers to take breaks, officials said.
By contrast, natural light spills through the new screening spaces. The high-ceilinged buildings feature windows with tints that change depending on the amount of sunlight. The space features the same yellow trim seen throughout the airport that some have dubbed “National yellow.”
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Mildiner said the space has better sightlines and has been fitted with technology that improves security and enables TSA officers to screen passengers more quickly and efficiently. Some checkpoints are equipped with computed tomography scanners designed to speed travelers through screening. Passengers with carry-ons screened by these machines don’t have to remove laptops or liquids, Mildiner said.
Among the most important features, said Scott T. Johnson, acting federal security director at National, there is more space. At a time when social distancing and masks are seen as key to containing the spread of the coronavirus, ample space for people as they move through the screening process is important, he said.
Looking around during a recent preview tour, Johnson couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s a nicer vibe,” he said.
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The checkpoints, combined with the 14-gate concourse that opened in April, expand the airport’s square footage but will not increase its number of flights, airport officials said. The new concourse on the airport’s north side replaced the infamous Gate 35X, a holding room for passengers booked on regional jets.
The project’s $1 billion price tag is funded through the sale of bonds and by fees that passengers pay when purchasing airline tickets.
For travelers such as Dulce Vasquez, who hadn’t been to the airport since the start of the pandemic, the new National came as a bit of a shock.
Vasquez, well-acquainted with transiting through Gate 35X, was surprised when she strolled off the plane and into the new concourse.
“Everything felt so new and spacious,” she said. She passed the space she was certain used to contain a TSA checkpoint. It was gone. She did a double take. Then she spotted the iconic American flag hanging from the ceiling in National Hall, and everything felt familiar again.
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