New Security Checkpoint At Ft. Lauderdale's Airport Offers Travelers More Choices

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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is showing off its new security checkpoint for Terminal 1.

Airport officials say it's a gateway to more choices and faster service for passengers. Dedicated Thursday, it replaces the separate checkpoints for concourses A, B, and C. When passengers go through security, they can now access everything in the connected concourses before heading to one of the 12 gates.

"This is a phenomenal addition to the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The Terminal 1 expansion and modernization program was actually a $333-million program. The first part of that opened last July with a new Concourse A," said Mark Gale, CEO, Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Among the future offerings: margaritas from Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and Cuban sandwiches from a Sergio's restaurant. A Harley Davidson and MAC cosmetics store will also open along a corridor with 40-foot high windows looking out towards the airfield. They're diverse offerings for a diverse and growing passenger base.

Gale says 2017 saw an 11-percent increase in passengers over 2016. He added that Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International is the fastest-growing large-hub airport in the U.S. with an even bigger future.

"We're going to be passing other airports in the country this year with regard to our traffic," says Gale.

In the future, Gale explains passengers will go through any security checkpoint to access a fully-connected airport.