TSA Allowing Some International Travelers to Skip Double Screening

Under the ‘One Stop Security’ pilot program, travelers will only need to go through security in the airport they are initially traveling from.

San Diego International Airport TSA Precheck Entry on Oct. 26, 2024. Jane Yang/The Epoch Times

The Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) will no longer require international travelers to go through rescreenings in some cases.

This means that travelers who enter the United States from abroad will not need to go through another screening to make a connecting flight if they are coming from certain international airports.

American Airlines is the first airline to partner with TSA and test the program in the United States, starting at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the company announced on July 22. Other major airlines, such as Delta, are set to join the program.

Under the “One Stop Security” pilot program, which was authorized by Congress, travelers will only need to go through security in the airport they are initially traveling from.

For example, a traveler coming to the United States from Heathrow Airport, in London, with a layover at Chicago O‘Hare International Airport will need to go through security only at Heathrow and will not need to go through security at O’Hare. Heathrow is one of the airports whose U.S.-bound travelers will not need to undergo screening before their connecting flights in the United States.

“It really is a commonsense security approach for us to streamline security from abroad to the United States,” Adam Stahl, TSA deputy administrator, told Fox News Digital. “It really underscores and piggybacks onto the president’s and the administration’s golden age of travel.”

Stahl told the outlet there are “no impacts” on security.

“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,” he said.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the TSA for comment.

TSA’s latest policy is just one of several changes announced recently.

For instance, the agency will no longer require passengers to take off their shoes at the security checkpoint line.

“Ending the ‘Shoes-Off’ policy is the latest effort DHS is implementing to modernize and enhance traveler experience across our nation’s airports,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a July 8 statement.

“We expect this change will drastically decrease passenger wait times at our TSA checkpoints, leading to a more pleasant and efficient passenger experience,“ Noem said. ”As always, security remains our top priority.”

Noem said this move exemplifies President Donald Trump’s “vision for a new Golden Age of American travel.”

Also, the TSA is now enforcing the policy of requiring travelers to have a Real ID or compliant document in accordance with the Real ID Act of 2005.