US connections after some international flights to get a lot easier

26.09.2024 - 19:47 / thepointsguy.com / David Pekoske

Are you tired of having to recheck your bags and clear security again for your connection after arriving in the U.S. on an international flight? Relief may be on the way — at least for some travelers.

The Transportation Security Administration is laying the groundwork for a new program that will allow passengers flying from certain overseas cities to make seamless connections once back in the U.S. The pilot program could be off the ground within the next year, the agency's chief said this week.

The new process, as TPG reported earlier this year, should offer travelers major time savings after a long flight. It could potentially save hours on some of the busiest travel days, TSA Administrator David Pekoske told TPG on the sidelines of the Regional Airline Association Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C.

"I think we'll see it, hopefully, as early as the next 12 months," Pekoske said. "I think once we're able to get it in place, it will be a huge benefit to passengers because you'll probably save ... an hour, maybe two, in a layover in a U.S. airport."

To Pekoske's point, passengers arriving in the U.S. from an international airport face a time-consuming (and often frustrating) path to a connecting flight.

After clearing U.S. Customs and Border Protection, passengers first have to wait for their luggage at baggage claim and recheck it for screening. Then, they head to reclear security.

Depending on the airport, that can mean clearing a designated checkpoint for connecting passengers (some of which don't have TSA PreCheck lanes, I've found). In some cases, it means going through the normal TSA checkpoint as if you'd just arrived at the airport as a local traveler.

It's a part of the process even Global Entry members can't skip.

But in late 2022, Congress — following a request from the TSA — authorized the agency to collaborate with airlines, CBP and the TSA's overseas counterparts on prototypes for "one-stop" security.

As part of the concept, passengers would go through security at an approved, vetted international point of origin. Then, after flying to the U.S., they'd be able to proceed right to their connecting flight after clearing CBP. Their bags would be seamlessly transferred, too.

Which overseas airports might be cleared for these seamless connections? Pekoske told TPG that the TSA is considering "a number of different countries."

"We consider that international airport after a lot of testing, and a lot of agreements, to be comparable security to ours," he added during public remarks in Washington on Tuesday.

Related: TSA PreCheck hits record 20 million members — up 33% since last year

The authorization from Congress would allow the TSA to set up these one-stop arrangements for travelers