Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport officials today unveiled a new comprehensive employee screening procedure.  The new process, which soft-launched this week to a limited number of workers, will be fully operational for the Airport’s nearly 40,000 security-badged employees on Tuesday, September 8. 

“Our passengers, employees and guests demand a safe, secure environment,” said Aviation General Manager Miguel Southwell.  “These new security measures will make sure the world’s busiest and most efficient airport is also among the safest.”

The focus of the new security procedure is the Employee Screening Checkpoint.  Some 27,000 employees are expected to pass through the checkpoint’s lanes every week.  The new facility, equipped with X-Ray machines, metal detectors, video cameras, and explosive detection devices, will be staffed 24-hours a day. 

Construction of the new facility, located just below the Airport’s atrium and with direct access to the Plane Train and the concourses it services, began in early June.  In less than three months, the new screening checkpoint was opened, well ahead of the year-end goal.

The new screening area is the latest in a multi-phased approach to ensuring the continued safety of passengers and workers at the Airport.  Earlier this year, Airport officials instituted a recurring fingerprint-based criminal records check for all employees; significantly reduced existing access portals; created 17 new employee inspection points; and restricted the number of employees who could enter secure areas. The cost for these new security measures totaled approximately $7.8 million with an additional $5 million for personnel costs.