Airline passengers will be able to keep liquids and electronics in their bags when going through security at Owen Roberts International Airport in future thanks to new equipment that should reduce congestion and queuing times.
The airport’s owner, Cayman Islands Airports Authority, is installing new security equipment at the airport to reduce bottlenecks and delays when passing through the airport, while maintaining safety standards.
The security upgrade includes the installation of new cabin baggage screening X-ray machines, bottle liquid scanners, explosive trace detection (ETD) equipment, and QRS body scanners. The use of all of this equipment, with the exception of ETD equipment, will be a first for Owen Roberts.
The Airports Authority said that the plans were to address the “ongoing challenges” at the airport, including congestion at the security screening checkpoint, and “will enhance and streamline security processes, resulting in faster and more efficient passenger screening while maintaining the highest safety standards”.
A spokeswoman for Airports Authority confirmed that, once the new equipment is up and running, passengers will be able to keep liquids and electronics in their bags while passing through security checks, but that liquids still have to be a maximum of 100 millilitres and fit into one plastic bag, with one bag per passenger. Any bottles containing more than 100ml found in carry-on bags will have to come out and not travel.
Passengers will still have to remove jackets, and belts and shoes will still have to be removed if they meet a certain criterion.
Improved airport experience
As part of the upgrade, the security queuing area will be relocated to be closer to the Arrivals Hall to accommodate the installation of the new screening equipment. The Airports Authority said that the new layout will “improve passenger flow, reduce wait times, and enhance the overall airport experience”.
Construction is currently underway and is scheduled for completion in November 2025.
There are no current plans for similar upgrades at Charles Kirkconnell airport on Cayman Brac, but the idea is being considered, said the spokeswoman.
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The problem up to now is that no matter how long the lines (sometimes stretching out into the main concourse), there have only been two of the three baggage check lines open. Every time when questioned the security staff say the third lane (on the far left) is out of order. My impression is they cut back staff to save money.
Another problem at the airport, I arrived on American at approx 11.00am on Thursday (31st) and was pleased to get my bag off the carousel fairly quickly. However I found a long queue stretching from the far carousel lining up for the green lane. It turned out that a female customs officer standing near the exit doors was interrogating almost every passenger, oblivious to the delay she was causing and also sending quite a few to the search area. Anyone who travels through Miami or Heathrow walks straight through, and security is provided by trained officers who will only stop anyone who raises their suspicion, and that is very rare. Normally here, only a few passengers are questioned and there are no delays.
The article says “shoes will still have to be removed if they meet a certain criterion”. What is that criterion? Because, we’ve had enough with taking off shoes. Even the U.S. has capitulated on this, an admission that “security theatre” has overstayed its welcome in this respect. Can’t Cayman join the modern era by following suit???
This new thing of dragging in half the people who have nothing to declare and delaying our arrival by an hour is obnoxious and unnecessary. We’ve been pulled in four times in a row now in long queues for no reason and several of our recent guests as well have been delayed by up to an hour without cause. Each time it was a total waste of everyone’s time. The sudden assumption that we are all liars who are smuggling, especially when proven otherwise repeatedly, is frankly offensive and uncivilized. When did CBC decide to make our arrival so miserable?! The green line is for people with nothing to declare. To post a woman there, who clearly just drags half or more of the arrivals in, without any reasonable or probable grounds, is totally moronic. Such a frustrating change of “welcome home” attitude and so unpleasant. Maybe it’s time for an express lane like Global Entry of Nexus, to avoid this nonsense.
Now we have this sophisticated equipment, would this negate the value of having a precheck channel for frequent flyers?.