Starting this summer, one frustrating airport security process is getting simpler for travelers.
From the end of July onwards, connecting passengers flying from London Heathrow to two of the biggest international airports in the US will save a lot of time between flights, thanks to a new program called One Stop Security.
The new program means that when connecting travelers arrive into the US, they will no longer need to go through a second TSA checkpoint or recheck their bags before proceeding to their next flight. Instead, the connection will be as simple as those for domestic flights. Here’s everything to know about the new initiative.
How does it work?
The program is a joint undertaking between American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, TSA, US Customs and Border Protection, and the Department for Transport.
For now, the streamlined One Stop Security screening is only available on flights departing London Heathrow for Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta aboard those two US airlines. American Airlines was the first carrier to launch the program this month on its daily flight from London to Dallas-Fort Worth. Passengers with a layover on that route, American Airlines flight 51, will clear customs in a special area at their arrival gate and proceed directly to their connecting flight without needing to reclaim their baggage, go through a second TSA checkpoint, or recheck their luggage. Instead, checked luggage will be sent directly to passengers’ final destinations. American says that the new protocols will cut connection times by 50%.
Later in July, Delta Air Lines will also join the program, giving its fliers access to streamlined layovers on its route from London Heathrow to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. But its procedures will be slightly different. Only connecting customers with a Global Entry membership or the Mobile Passport Control app, which is run by US Customs and Border Protection and only available to US citizens and permanent residents, can bypass the second security checkpoint. Travelers who meet those requirements can proceed directly to their connecting flight.
Delta says it already offers this service on the eastbound leg of the route for customers departing Atlanta and connecting through Heathrow. The OSS pilot program launched in the reverse direction this February, allowing passengers on flying on Delta (or its SkyTeam partner Virgin Atlantic) from Atlanta and connecting through London Heathrow Terminal 3 or 5 to skip the security and baggage recheck and proceed to their next flight. Passengers flying on American Airlines (or on its Oneworld partner British Airways) from Dallas-Fort Worth to London Heathrow Terminal 3 or 5 have also been able to bypass the security and baggage rechecks since February and proceed directly to their connecting flight.
Now with the expansion of the program, all connecting travelers on Delta’s London to Atlanta route (Delta flight 5999) will be spared from reclaiming and rechecking their bags. “Through International Remote Baggage Screening, checked bags will be screened overseas and forwarded directly to the final destination, eliminating baggage recheck and customs clearance in Atlanta,” a Delta spokesperson tells Condé Nast Traveler. The new shift will save passengers up to 40 minutes, the airline says.
Where is One Stop Security offered?
By the end of July, One Stop Security will be offered on two routes: American Airlines flights from London Heathrow to Dallas-Fort Worth, and Delta flights from London Heathrow to Atlanta.
There are plans to expand the service to more airports in the near future. The TSA’s deputy administrator said in a recent interview that more international airports would be brought into the initiative over the next several months. Meanwhile, American Airlines says it “plans to explore” ways to expand the program to more flights and US airports.
Experts in the travel industry have lauded the new simplified program. “One Stop Security is a smart, long-overdue step toward modernizing the travel experience, eliminating redundant screening, cutting connection times and unlocking more international air service,” US Travel President and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement. “Paired with stronger airport staffing, long-awaited air traffic control upgrades and the end of the shoe removal rule, this is real progress toward a world-class travel system just in time for America 250, the 2026 World Cup, and the 2028 Olympics.”