Airport's baggage scanners ease travel.

Byline: Tim Christie The Register-Guard

New baggage scanning equipment at the Eugene Airport should make life easier and safer for air travelers and reduce the risk of injury to security workers, airport officials said Thursday.

Four machines, valued at $330,000 each, went into service in the airport lobby, in front of the ticket counters, last weekend and were shown to reporters Thursday.

Eugene Airport and U.S. Transportation Security Administration officials said the new technology means screeners will open far fewer bags than before.

The machines, built by Reveal Imaging Technologies Inc. of Boston, can detect explosives in luggage as well as provide screeners with images of the contents if necessary, said Mike Irwin, the TSA's security director for Oregon.

But images appear on monitors only if the machines detect something suspicious, he said.

The new machines also should reduce on-the-job injuries, officials said.

Oregon is the first Western state to get the new scanning machines, which are designed for smaller airports, Irwin said. Managers at small airports got together, researched the equipment, enlisted the aid of the state's congressional delegation and lobbied the TSA for the new gear, Eugene Airport Manager Bob Noble said.

Redmond was the first Oregon airport to get the new scanners, in November, followed by Medford in December and now Eugene, Irwin said. North Bend and Klamath Falls airports are next in line.

Noble said that eventually the machines will be placed behind the ticket counter, instead of in the airport lobby, but that requires bumping out the back of the building.

Before that can happen, airport officials need to reach agreement with the airlines, the TSA and possibly the Federal Aviation Administration on how to pay for it.

Putting the scanners behind the ticket booth would make the system work better because travelers wouldn't have to lug their bags back and forth between the ticket counter and the screening area, he said.