If you're flying out of Tampa this week, you might see something new as you get ready to board your flight. Biometric screening is something all airports are going to have by 2024. But Tampa International has them now, replacing the traditional boarding pass scanners.
How does it work?
When you walk up to the gate, the scanner takes a photo of you. It compares the photo to what's on your passport photo that's on file. It also checks for things like your name to make sure it matches up with who's booked for that flight. Once you're cleared, you walk in and sensors prevent anyone from trying to piggyback their way in with you.
Is it faster?
According to the Tampa International website, a plane carrying 130 passengers boards 3 to 4 times faster. The scanners helped speed things up from about 30-40 minutes to 11 minutes.
So far there are only 8 of the machines ready to go but they say more are on the way. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has make it a rule that all international flights will need these biometric scanners by 2024. They'll also be used on the ground and for cruise ships. The agency was formed two years after the events of 9/11.
Residents Say Tampa Is Missing These 7 Things
There are a lot of reasons people are moving to Tampa Bay and causing so much congestion. Long time locals are unhappy about it. There's always traffic. The cost of living has gone up. As for me, I'm always surprised it took this long. Tampa should've been overcrowded decades ago.
Florida became my permanent home about 10 years ago, but I'd been hoping to have a Florida license plate on my car ever since my first visit about 25 years ago. I'll never forget it. It was in February and I couldn't stop thinking, "Wait, you can live like this? And it costs LESS?" So the fact that it took so long for the Tampa area to become so popular is hard for me to understand.
We have great beaches nearby. There's no state income tax. There are plenty of things to do. We have great sports teams. We get concerts from club shows up to arena and stadium acts. The foodie and craft beer scenes are bursting. And we don't own an ice scraper. But on the Tampa reddit today, one local asked ... what's missing? What's that one thing our city could have to make life perfect?
Light Rail Service
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)This is already in the works. High speed trains that would take you from Tampa to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami are high on the wish list for many. It looks now like it's about 5 to 10 years away with a station most likely in the Ybor area.
Buildings with residences over businesses
Geno/BeasleyYoung people don't want to drive anymore. They want to be able to walk everywhere like they do in most major cities. Businesses are on the ground floor and residences are above. This is actually starting to happen in Tampa. Midtown is a great example.
That "1 Place" To Go
(Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)New York City has Central Park. One resident said they'd like to have a place like that in Tampa. I would argue that the Riverwalk is that place. So much great work has been done in that area downtown. Visitors love it but for those who live in the suburbs or in a different part of Tampa, it's probably just not something they take advantage of enough.
More Parks
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)Do you feel that we have enough of them? According to Tampa.gov, the city has 194 parks with over 300 miles of trails and 3,226 acres of parkland.
Affordable Housing
(Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images)This is the obvious one. Rents and home prices have gone up around the country, but nothing like the situation here in Florida. The City of Tampa and St. Pete both have projects in the works to try to combat the uptick in housing and apartment costs.
Public Transit
Chris Hondros/Getty ImagesSure we have the bus system, but many dream of a day when they can just jump on a subway and head to the beach. Since Tampa has never really had a public transportation system, housing is so spread out that it would be tough to reach everyone. Plus nobody wants to put up with the headaches that the construction would bring so we're kind of stuck with buses.
Snow
(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)The person who said this said they were kidding. I hope so. I would never go back to winter life!
