MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Transportation Security Administration says new automated security lanes will make air travel safer and more efficient at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

The TSA introduced four new ``innovation lanes'' in Terminal 1 last week.

The $2.1 million system focuses on luggage and doesn't involve body screening. Travelers place their luggage into large bins, which are then screened by X-ray equipment. Bags that need further screening are automatically diverted to a different conveyer belt.

A TSA spokeswoman says the system will automate functions that personnel previously had to carry out.

The TSA employs more than 650 full-time employees at the airport and doesn't plan to cut jobs as a result of the automation.

The agency reports nearly 12 million people are screened at the airport annually.

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