US connections after some international flights to get a lot easier

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."

Saving valuable time

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.

'One-stop' prototypes approved

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.

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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

How many airports?

The authorization from Congress would allow the TSA to set up these one-stop arrangements for travelers arriving in the U.S. from up to six international points of origin.

Once approved, coming from one of those airports would conceivably relieve travelers connecting at a range of U.S. airports; the program doesn't limit the number of U.S. airports that could benefit.

For example, if (hypothetically) Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul, South Korea, were cleared as an approved airport in this program, passengers departing from there would potentially be able to skip the baggage and security recheck at numerous U.S. airports.

There is one catch, however: Some U.S. airports may need to make infrastructure tweaks to accommodate the new flow of passengers required under the one-stop program.

Pekoske doesn't expect any needed infrastructure changes in the U.S. will be a major hurdle, though.

"The benefit you get from a fairly small investment's fairly huge for the passenger satisfaction," he said. "We intend to have multiple U.S. airports involved in this."

Since this is a pilot program, the TSA must report back to Congress over the next six years on how effective this one-stop security process is and whether any security problems arise. This information could figure into whether these changes ultimately become permanent — and perhaps expand to additional international points of origin.

Bottom line

Within the next year, the TSA hopes to start allowing travelers from certain, preapproved destinations to make U.S. connections without reclearing security or replacing baggage on the carousel.

Over the next six years, this could eventually cover travelers originating at up to six overseas airports.

That means most international flights won't be affected for the foreseeable future, but a growing number of flyers could discover time savings — meaning a quicker trip to their connecting gate or more time to relax in an airport lounge.

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