US Airport Security: Major changes 25 years after 9/11
Major changes are being introduced to US airport security rules 25 years after the 9/11 attacks. (Reuters)
Twenty-five years after the 9/11 attacks transformed air travel in the US, airport security is seeing some of its biggest changes in decades. Rules introduced following 9/11 and later terror plots are now being eased or reconsidered as screening technology has evolved.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is bringing back limited access to airport gates for people who are not flying, while the Trump administration is reportedly considering relaxing restrictions on carrying water through security. The developments follow the end of the longstanding shoe-removal requirement last year.
Aviation security expert Jeff Price told the BBC that improvements in technology have made it possible to reconsider some of these policies. Newer TSA machines have computed tomography (CT) capabilities, which he said can do a better job of detecting liquid-based explosives.
Here are the key changes:
- 01
Gate access:
Eligible TSA PreCheck participants will be able to pass through security without a flight ticket to welcome or see off family and friends at airport gates.
- 02
Gateside TSA PreCheck:
The programme will be offered at 13 US airports. The full list of participating airports can be checked on the official TSA website. Eligible participants who want to visit a gate without a ticket can apply online one to three days before their planned visit.
- 03
Water restrictions:
The Trump administration is reportedly considering allowing TSA PreCheck passengers to carry full water bottles through airport security. The restriction was introduced following a foiled 2006 UK terror plot involving liquid chemical mixtures concealed in drink bottles. TSA has not confirmed the reported change.
- 04
Shoe removal:
Passengers are no longer required to remove their shoes during TSA security screenings. The nationwide requirement, introduced in 2006 following Richard Reid’s attempted 2001 attack using explosives hidden in his footwear, was ended last year.
Other requirements remain in place for now, including removing belts and coats and taking laptops and liquids out of bags, although Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said those rules are also under review. She said a “multi-layered” screening process would remain in place as airport procedures are streamlined.
Reaction to the changes on social media has been mixed. Some older users who remember travelling before the restrictions welcomed what they saw as a return to normality, while younger users questioned whether easing the rules could affect safety.
Price said he understood the nostalgia for pre-9/11 air travel but stressed that changes should only be made if security is not compromised.
Airlines for America, which represents major US airlines, welcomed the end of the shoe-removal requirement, saying it would make travel smoother while keeping it secure.
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