Why The Airplane Boarding Pass Could Soon Be A Thing of The Past

— -- Is the boarding pass going overboard?

They could soon become a thing of the past, according to one top transportation official.

To address the glaring lapses in security over the last few months, TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger, who was recently confirmed, will specifically target screening -- with a focus on checkpoints.

He predicts that the days of the boarding pass may be numbered, while outlining his 5 to 10-year vision for the “checkpoint of the future.”

“I think we can eliminate the boarding pass,” Neffenger said in a hearing on Capitol Hill today, adding, "the idea that you are your boarding pass and if I can tie you biometrically to a reservation, to an identification and I can do so in a verified way than one -- that moves you through the process faster."

Neffenger notes that eliminating the boarding pass would remove the challenges for the document checkers at the checkpoints since there is little consistency with the passes, as each airline has a different style of boarding pass.

He emphasized that the checkpoint is a critically important element in security, as it is a visible deterrent and the last chance to catch any threat.

“[The checkpoint] is the barrier between the sterile and the non-sterile areas and there has to be an expectation of that area working,” Neffenger said.

Findings in the Homeland Security Inspector General’s report found major lapses in TSA security, showing that agents failed 67 out of 70 tests, when Red Team members who were posing as passengers were able to get potential weapons through checkpoints, according to officials briefed on the report.

Since the report, Administrator Neffenger said he is greatly disturbed by the failure and vowed to close these security gaps.