THE Transportation Security Administration has introduced a significant change for travelers.
The new program will allow certain passengers to avoid a screening stage altogether – and it starts this week.
The One Stop Security Program
This week, the TSA rolled out the “One Stop Security” program, with American Airlines being the first to adopt the change.
This pilot program, authorized by Congress, permits passengers arriving in the U.S. from international airports with connecting flights to skip TSA rescreening.
Major U.S. airline carriers American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have partnered with TSA to launch the program from London’s Heathrow International Airport.
Delta Air Lines is set to launch its one-stop flight arriving at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport by the end of July, as per the TSA.
TSA Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl, based in Washington, D. C., told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that more foreign airports will be included in the program in the coming month.
Stahl said: “It really is a commonsense security approach for us to streamline security from abroad to the United States.
“It really underscores and piggybacks onto the president’s and the administration’s golden age of travel.”
He added that TSA is carefully monitoring the OSS program by looking at improvements in the “turn time of the airport” and is expecting significant connecting time reduction.
No threat to security
Stahl said there would be no threat to security and explained: “We conduct rigorous threat screening and monitoring and just security assessments for that last point of departure airport, that foreign airport that’s interested and eligible to make sure that there’s a commensurate level of security.”
When asked what the airline checkpoint process will look like for Americans in the next three years, Stahl said he expects it to be fully automated from curb to gate.
“We really are envisioning a fully frictionless process, one that’s fully automated, that’s tech-enabled, that is as seamless as possible,” he said.
“We are going to do everything we can,” he said. “[Secretary Noem] is going to do everything we can to bring in side-by-side partners, the private sector, public sector, airlines, airports and other stakeholders to really create an American travel and transportation security system that every single American is proud of.”
The new policy comes as the U.S. prepares to streamline large events taking place across the country, such as the America250 events, the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup matches.
Major change to the shoes-off policy
The long-standing rule that forced millions of travelers to remove their shoes at airport checkpoints is being phased out.
Federal officials said the change marked the start of the “golden age” for American travel.
Since 2006, it has been the norm for travelers to take off their shoes before walking through scanning machines.
But, now the rule is being eliminated after rumors swirled on the internet and social media.
News that Transportation Security Administration chiefs were considering axing the rule surfaced on the Substack Gate Access – just before Independence Day.
And, memos were sent to TSA agents informing them of the change.
Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, believes it will help cut wait times while at security checkpoints.
