Kinder, gentler security checkpoints

Serenity adds to security. No, this is not a Buddhist mantra, but a new Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) approach to airport checkpoints. The agency hopes to create a kinder, gentler screening process and will test it soon at Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport. Other U.S. airports could see the new approach later this year. The checkpoint to be tested in May at one terminal in Baltimore is based on a simple premise: Serenity adds security. Mauve lights glow softly, soothing music hums, and smiling employees offer quiet greetings and assistance. “A chaotic, noisy, congested checkpoint is a security nightmare. Chaos gives camouflage,” TSA director Kip Hawley said. “A chaotic environment puts subtle pressure on [screeners] to rush the job.”