With the aim of enhancing the American travel experience, the newly launched One Stop Security program (OSS), a partnership between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.K. Department for Transport, eliminates the need for travelers arriving in U.S. airports from international destinations to undergo a second TSA screening before boarding onward domestic flights.
The U.S. Travel Association, a national non-profit organization representing the U.S. travel industry, has advocated for OSS as a way to eliminate repeat TSA screenings, thereby creating a “more seamless travel experience.”
“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,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of U.S. Travel, in a statement following the OSS announcement. “This is real progress toward a world-class travel system just in time for America 250, the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics [in Los Angeles]."
To date, two major airline carriers have partnered with the TSA for the congressionally approved pilot program. The first American Airlines flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth took of on July 18, 2025, which will soon be followed by Delta Air Lines' one-stop flights from London to Atlanta. Adam Stahl, chief of staff for the TSA, notes that additional overseas airports will be added in the months ahead.
“As a frequent traveler through Heathrow, security is equally stringent and thorough as compared to TSA in the U.S., so it does feel redundant to be screened a second time,” said Victoria Romeo Scinto of Travel With Character, who lived in London for several years and assists with the agency’s international travel operations. “Furthermore, different U.S. airports have different procedures for the secondary screening — and sometimes a connection can’t even be considered because of the uncertainty of the time it takes to clear customs and complete security again. So, providing security is on par with TSA, it seems to be a great way to streamline transfers and avoid an additional hassle when arriving in the U.S.”
Reducing connecting flight time is good for the traveler, the airport and the airlines.
Credit: 2025 Delta AirlinesAccording to Stahl, the program's success will be measured by improvements in "turn time" for the airlines — ensuring they can fly in and out more expeditiously — as well as the expected decrease in connecting time for passengers.
Reducing connecting flight time is good for the traveler, the airport and the airlines.
“Reducing connecting flight time is good for the traveler, the airport and the airlines,” he said.
“We’re envisioning a fully frictionless process that’s fully automated and as seamless as possible.”
David Seymour, chief operating officer at American Airlines, agrees.
“One Stop Security … delivers a level of convenience and time savings that’s never been available before to customers connecting from international flights," he said. "With this program, our customers will spend significantly less time worrying about an onerous connection process and more time enjoying their travel journey.”
Most importantly, Stahl stressed, there will be no impacts to security.
“We conduct rigorous threat assessments at the last point of departure — the foreign airports that are interested and eligible [to participate in OSS] — to make sure there’s a commensurate level of security,” he said.
Screening at participating departure airports will ensure a commensurate level of security.
Credit: 2025 Heathrow AirportBoth Delta and American are allowing passengers returning from London to skip picking up luggage and rescreening before an onward domestic flight. However, Meredith Wallace, owner of MM Travel, notes that Delta is only allowing this for clients with Global Entry and Mobile Passport Control, which both require pre-screening.
“I am all for taking the time for security checks as we want to be safe when we’re flying,” Wallace said. “But my experiences at Heathrow make me feel more comfortable. Even with Global Entry, I needed to take out my electronics and liquids, so that makes me feel good about this pilot program.”
Currently, though, only clients traveling from Heathrow on select American and Delta flights will benefit from OSS upon landing in their first U.S. airport. But as the number of participating airlines and airports increases, more travelers will be able to “breeze through” domestic connections following inbound international flights.
“Security and the safety of all travelers should remain the priority,” said Amy Terada, vice president of marketing for Pleasant Holidays. “Beyond that, if there’s a way for travelers to expedite processes and save time, which appears to be the case, I do feel this will be very well received and quite popular — anything to reduce time when ‘running’ through airports will help ease the stress.”
