WASHINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of

U.S. senators on Wednesday proposed new airport baggage

screening systems and technology updates at checkpoints to

improve security and shorten wait times as air travel hits

records.

Senator Jerry Moran, Republican chair of a subcommittee on

aviation, along with Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen and

Michael Bennet and Republican John Boozman, proposed spending

$500 million annually on explosive detection systems for checked

suitcases and $250 million annually for technology improvements

at airport security checkpoints.

That money would come from existing fees paid by passengers

-- $5.60 per each one-way ticket. Last year the fees raised $4.5

billion. The senators said that more than $13 billion in revenue

from the fees has been diverted to non-security uses since 2014.

Air travel set a record in 2024 and is expected to set a new

one this year as air travel has boomed this summer.

"Increased air travel, coupled with lack of investment

in security checkpoints and aging systems, has resulted in

outdated screening technology and longer security lines," Moran

said.

Airlines for America -- a trade group that includes

American Airlines ( AAL ), Delta Air Lines ( DAL ), United

Airlines and others -- praised the bill as "common-sense

legislation that returns the fees that travelers pay for

security to their original, intended purpose: improving security

and facilitation for travelers."

Sharing the goal of reducing delays, the Transportation

Security Administration

said this month it would stop requiring

passengers to remove their shoes at checkpoints. Homeland

Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also raised the possibility

that passengers may be allowed to bring greater volumes of

liquids through security checkpoints.