Airports to sell ad space in plastic bins

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Transportation Security Administration says it will let airports sell ads in the bottoms of the plastic bins that hold belongings at checkpoints.

The program aims to upgrade TSA equipment by having advertisers buy new bins, carts and stainless steel tables in exchange for the right to place ads in the bottom of the bins that hold passengers' shoes and other personal belongings, said TSA spokeswoman Sterling Payne.

The airports also will collect part of the advertising revenue, Payne told USA Today in a story published Tuesday.

The program received the green light after a year-long experiment in which ads were displayed in bins at 14 airports, including Los Angeles, Denver and Seattle-Tacoma, said Payne, noting TSA received $435,000 worth of new checkpoint equipment from the experiment.

The program is expected to be popular with advertisers, said Joe Ambrefe, president of SecurityPoint Media, which sold bin ads in the pilot program.

"It's premium space for a premium audience," Ambrefe said.