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By JACOB SCHNEIDER The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 8, 2008

TAMPA - TAMPA - Bob Clark flies nearly 200 times a year, so you might expect that he has airport security figured out. But even he sometimes gets frustrated when facing ever-more-stringent checkpoint requirements.

"There are even times that the rules change on what seems like a daily basis," said the Sarasota-based FedEx pilot, who said he sometimes struggles not to get visibly upset.

Clark might find solace in the new products of two local companies that are among a growing number of ventures developing goods and services to alleviate stress and create more efficient checkpoints.

The companies see business opportunities in the post-Sept. 11 security reforms - including limits on liquids carried on board and a requirement that shoes pass through a screening machine - all of which takes time.

It's not a trivial concern. Last year, the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 700 million passengers nationwide with an average wait of about 13 minutes during peak hours. At Tampa International Airport, 9.5 million of them were screened with an average peak wait time of more than 17 minutes.

Susan Foster, author of "Smart Packing for Today's Traveler," says the security checkpoints have transformed the experience of flying.

"It's changed everything from what we wear to how we pack a suitcase to 'are we going to check or are we going to carry on?'" she said.

Although airport terminals have had security for decades, since Sept. 11 restrictions have tightened in response to each successive terrorist threat, from the Shoe Bomber to the liquid explosives plot of two years ago. Entrepreneurs have responded to each change by offering products tailored to new specifications.

Foster said she has noticed a proliferation of products aimed at expediting airline travelers, from metal-free men's belt buckles to clear liquid bottles and bags.

Keeping It Simple

Tampa textile designer Fran Rogers is hoping to piggyback on the trend by taking aim at the pet peeve of business travelers: the requirement that laptops be removed from bags and pass through the X-ray machine in separate trays. Rogers, who owns RF Textiles, has created a laptop bag that does not require removing the computer for scanning. Separation of the machine and bag ensures the X-ray image of the computer isn't obstructed by other objects.

Rogers' solution is deceptively simple. There's a pocket on each side of the bag. If you put the computer - and nothing else - on one side of the bag, you simply open that pocket and run the whole bag through the machine. Rogers is offering colorful versions of the bag designed for women, but she said she may soon make a more masculine model.

"I'm honing in on the women in the marketplace," she said. "I'm not trying to replace black canvas laptop bags. I'm into fashion."

The bags, which are made by local contract sewers, sell for $125 online and at craft shows Rogers attends.

Rogers learned of the opportunity to create a checkpoint-friendly bag when the Transportation Security Administration last year issued a request for proposals of bag designs that provided unobstructed X-ray views of laptops. A frequent traveler, Rogers didn't need to be sold on the concept - she was all too familiar with the frustration that comes with traversing airport security checkpoints.

Not Your Average Bin

St. Petersburg-based SecurityPoint Media is taking a broader look at the efficiency of security checkpoints by offering screening tables of standard height - minimizing back and shoulder injuries among fliers and TSA employees - as well as the ubiquitous white plastic screening trays. The goal is to provide standard equipment so fliers and TSA employees don't have to spend time adapting to each airport's setup.

"We're really focused on the customer experience at the security checkpoint. There's other companies that are better suited for the technology," said SecurityPoint President Joseph Ambrefe.

In exchange for providing airports with the screening tables and bins, the company sells three-dimensional ads on the bottom of each bin.

"We put a lot of thought into the best spot for the advertising," Ambrefe said. "Travelers will absolutely view the ad multiple times when they put their laptop, PDA, essentially their most prized possessions in that spot."

SecurityPoint provides and maintains the equipment free of charge to the TSA at participating airports in exchange for the right to sell ads. Revenue from the ads is split between the airport and the company.

"It's not the place to deliver a text-heavy message that you're going to read, but it's absolutely the place to deliver the branding message," Ambrefe said.

So far, 15 airports nationwide have signed on, he said.

From Luxury To Pragmatism

A fixation with hassle-free travel is reflected in the growth of high-end retailer Flight 001. The company, which was conceived by a pair of business travelers on a trans-Atlantic flight 10 years ago, now sells travel accessories from eight stores in the United States and the Middle East. Co-founder Brad John said that since Sept. 11, 2001, the bulk of the chain's sales have changed from luxury accessories to pragmatic items aimed at security checkpoint efficiency.

"It's totally different than when we first opened," John said. "We were still selling everything for travel ... but people weren't so particular. I've always sold travel bottles, but I've never sold travel bottles like now."

Even with these innovations, Scott Ellis, a businessman from Atlanta who flies at least once a week, might have to wait a little longer for a solution to his most pressing security-related issue: the lack of a 3-ounce toothpaste tube, the maximum the TSA allows in carry-on luggage.

"Clearly no one in the toothpaste industry flies," he said.

Reporter Jacob Schneider can be reached at jschneider@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7850.

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