Federal Security Director for the TSA at the airport in Fort Myers, Bob Cohen, said the scanners have several advantages.

“This will give us a better detection capability for potential bad items that could get on a plane and bring a plane down. It will be quicker and easier for the passenger because it will minimize pat downs and for these passengers with joint replacements and other medical conditions can walk right through and it will highlight if anything’s there or not and they don’t have to go through the automatic pat down that they would have had if they would have ring off in a metal detector.”

Of the first 931 passengers who went through the scanners, Cohen said only 6 needed pat downs. Before, as many as 75 people out of that group would have gone through the pat down.  It will speed things up too. Normally 150 passengers an hour went through a metal detector lane – Cohen said the scanner will be able to process 250 people in the same period of time.  Passengers still need to empty their pockets and remove belts and shoes.  They can opt out of the scanner but will experience a full pat down if they do.