Islip, NY –  Going through the TSA screening checkpoint at MacArthur
Airport will now be more efficient as new technology is in use. The TSA’s new Credential
Authentication Technology (CAT) validates a traveler’s photo ID, and connects that information
to an appropriate flight reservation prior to allowing the person to proceed through screening
into the sterile area of the airport.
Here’s how it works. At the security checkpoint, a TSA officer will ask the traveler to provide their
photo ID. The TSA officer will insert the photo ID into the CAT unit where it will be scanned and
analyzed, and then the customer will proceed through the remainder of the screening process.
While a boarding pass will not be needed at the checkpoint, passengers will still need to checkin with their airline and show their boarding pass to the airline gate agent before boarding their
flight.
The CAT units are designed and programmed to verify if a traveler’s ID is authentic, fraudulent or
expired. Additionally, CAT is linked electronically to the Secure Flight database, confirming the
details of travel, ensuring the traveler is ticketed for that day, and indicating if the traveler is
eligible for TSA PreCheck.
“Credential Authentication Technology is a tool that helps our TSA officers detect fraudulent IDs,
and quickly confirm the traveler’s flight information,” said Robert Duffy, TSA’s Federal Security
Director for the airport. “It’s an additional layer of security, that also minimizes time spent
handling various documents, and enabling air customers to move quickly through screening and
board their flights,” he added.
“Long Island MacArthur Airport has some of the newest airport security technology the TSA has
in service, ´said Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter. “In September, TSA upgraded to new high-
tech 3-D imagery of baggage contents at MacArthur Airport. This latest investment of Credential
Authenticity Technology further indicates the TSA’s commitment to safety and security. The
process also minimizes a potential touch point by not requiring boarding passes at security. The
process will take just 3-12 seconds, which is a time-saver as our customers rediscover travel when
the time is right for their circumstances,” said Supervisor Carpenter.
The CAT system can scan approximately 2,500 different IDs and passports, including US and
Canadian driver’s licenses, each state’s DMV photo IDs, standard passports, and Permanent
Residence Card/Resident Alien Card. No data is permanently stored in the CAT unit. For the
period that the data is stored in the CAT system, it is on an encrypted hard drive. When the REAL
ID Act compliance is enforced beginning Oct 1, 2021, non-compliant state identification will not
be considered a valid form of ID. TSA’s full list of valid IDs is posted on its Website at
www.TSA.gov.
ABOUT LONG ISLAND MACARTHUR AIRPORT: Long Island MacArthur Airport customers enjoy
flights on three major US domestic air carriers: American Airlines, Frontier Airlines and
Southwest Airlines. Together these carriers currently provide service to 11 cities nonstop, and
connect to hundreds of destinations worldwide. The airport serves 1.6M passengers annually
and employs 6000 people directly and indirectly, with a $19M annual operating budget and an
economic impact of $600M to the region and local economy.