Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Full-body Imaging Scanners Coming to JFK, La Guardia Soon
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 21, 2010
Modified Jul 21, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 21, 2010
Modified Jul 21, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
TSA screeners will soon get an eyeful at NYC airports. According to the Post, full-body imaging scanners are coming to JFK and La Guardia in "the coming months." The virtual strip searches use X-rays or electromagnetic waves to detect weapons on 3-D images of passengers' naked bodies. The TSA began rolling out the machines at airports nationwide after the failed Christmas underwear bomber. They're currently in use at 133 airports, with plans to install about 1,000 by the end of next year, to the tune of $80 million. But besides the privacy violation, critics wonder if they're even effective.
In October, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said the TSA was deploying the machines without fully testing them, and in March the office said it "remains unclear" whether they would have detected the explosives Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had sewn into his undies on Christmas, USA Today reports. There are also questions about the potential health impact of the scanners. Even worse, frequent flier Phil Bush of Atlanta says, "The system takes three to five times as long as walking through a metal detector."
The TSA says that fliers can opt out of the scanner and choose a pat-down instead, and authorities promise the images will be deleted after being viewed, and not printed out on a Wall of Fame in the break room. Still, some fliers remain concerned. At JFK yesterday, Kira Ladel of Brooklyn told the Post, "It's a computer—nothing is deleted. Before you know it, we'll all have chips in us. But as long as I get to my destination safely, I'm fine." That's the spirit!
Tagged
airport security
full-body scanner
tsa
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .