Pilot program to screen passengers for explosives expanded to JFK airport

John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City will participate in a test program to screen passengers for explosives, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday.

Passengers will walk through a machine that blows puffs of air that are absorbed by people's clothing or bodies.

The particles then are collected and analyzed for explosives.

If explosive particles or vapors are detected, the people will be subject to additional screening.

The portal, made by New Jersey-based Smiths Detection, can scan up to 420 people per hour. The company initially was awarded a contract for $731,500 for five walk-through explosive-detection portals, which are deployed at airports in Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss.; Providence, R.I.; Rochester, N.Y.; San Diego; and Tampa, Fla.