American Airlines Introduces One Stop Security in the U.S.
American Airlines is the first airline in the United States to offer seamless connections for travelers and their checked bags. In partnership with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.K. Department for Transport (DfT), the new process allows customers traveling from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and connecting through the airline’s largest hub, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), to clear U.S. Customs right at the arrival gate.
Customers can then proceed directly to their connecting flight without reclaiming and rechecking their checked baggage or passing through TSA security. Checked bags are automatically transferred to the connecting flight, streamlining the experience while maintaining the highest security standards.
This first-of-its-kind program, known as One Stop Security (OSS), is expected to cut connection timesby more than half, dramatically improving the customer journey. Typically the process includes clearing U.S. Customs, claiming checked bags, rechecking bags and then clearing TSA security.
“One Stop Security is one of the most forward-thinking enhancements we can bring to international travel — and importantly, to our customers — as it delivers a level of convenience and time-savings that’s never been available before to customers connecting from international flights,” said David Seymour, Chief Operating Officer at American. “With this game-changing program and thanks to our federal partners at CBP and TSA, along with DFW Airport, our customers will spend significantly less time worrying about an onerous connection process and more time enjoying their travel journey.”
The U.S. launch at DFW follows a successful pilot earlier this year at LHR, where OSS was introduced for travelers connecting to non-U.K. destinations.
The airline plans to explore opportunities to expand OSS to additional flights and U.S. airports in the future.