International Travelers, Rejoice: The US and the UK are finally rethinking one of their most annoying airport rituals.
For decades, anyone who flies from the US to the UK and catches flights connecting elsewhere on the continent has faced the same frustrating drill. Pick up the check bag after customs, sprint through the maze of the hallway, drop it off at the retic station, and drop it off before the cut-off time for bag check.
But the change is in the air. The US Traffic Security Agency (TSA) and the UK Department of Transport (DFT) are partnering with American Airlines on a new pilot program that saves travelers time at the world’s busiest airports.
A system called One Stop Security (OSS) is a system that checks passengers and checked luggage at the departure airport, allowing you to land without passing through security again and immediately reach the next gate. The UK is one country, like the US, and in principle, to ensure that passengers connect security protocols before boarding another flight, some other countries trust security protocols to streamline the transport experience or to occur in the airport. Not extending passengers from the US means that the UK recognizes that the US screening system is at least comparable to the UK screening system.
For now, according to a statement from American Airlines, OSS, which intentionally “simplifies the connection process,” is only available for flights from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) or Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR). However, other departure airports are expected to be added later this year.
American is a member of the One World Alliance, including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Japan Airlines, and Qantas. This means that passengers connecting from Dallas on One World Flight will avoid customs when they land in London. Several SkyTeam Alliance Airlines, including Delta Air Lines and the Virgin Atlantic, can also skip security in the UK’s capital.
However, it is worth mentioning that these routes are not exempt from the new UK Electronic Travel Certification (ETA) system. As of January 8, 2025, this system requires travelers flying to England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland to apply for a travel permit in advance to the UK. To obtain a UK ETA, travelers must fill out basic personal information in the survey and pay a fee of £10 (approximately USD 13 based on current conversion rate).
Is One Stop Security coming to the US?
In 2021, Congress passed the TSA accreditation bill and developed a pilot program that could end Recheck Shuffle Stateside. Currently, reaffirmation in the US on inbound international flights with domestic ties is a requirement of several federal laws and regulations as a national security issue. In September, then TSA administrator David Pekoske said at the travel industry conference, the Skift Global Forum, that he hopes to roll out the OSS program in the US in 2025 (but Pekoske left his job when the new administration took office in January).
Still, in a press release from DFW to announce the LHR pilot program, Nate Gatten, American Airlines’ Chief Government Affairs Officer, teased the possibility that OSS could also expand to operate in the opposite direction.
The OSS program operates similarly to the pre-environment programs that exist at some international airports in the Bahamas, Canada, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.
