American Airlines will let some passengers skip the customs line at this airport
- American Airlines is piloting a program called One-Stop Security at DFW for connecting international passengers.
- The program eliminates the need for passengers arriving from London Heathrow to be re-screened by security when connecting to another flight.
- One-Stop Security is expected to cut connecting times by more than half for eligible travelers.
Travelers connecting from the United Kingdom through American Airlines' main hub in Dallas will now have a much smoother travel experience.
American is piloting a one-stop security program that lets connecting passengers clear customs at the gate and not need to have their bags re-screened before proceeding to another flight in Dallas.
"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," David Seymour, American's Chief Operating Officer, said in a statement.
"With this game-changing program and thanks to our federal partners at (Customs and Border Protection) and (the Transportation Security Administration), along with (Dallas Fort Worth) Airport, our customers will spend significantly less time worrying about an onerous connection process and more time enjoying their travel journey,” he said.
The airline expects the program to reduce connection times for eligible passengers by more than half.
For now, the program is only a pilot available to passengers departing London Heathrow and connecting to American Airlines flights at DFW, but the airline said it "plans to explore opportunities to expand OSS to additional flights and U.S. airports in the future."
American Airlines announced a similar program at London's Heathrow Airport in February, where passengers departing DFW and connecting onto international (non-U.K.) flights could avoid going through security re-screening in London.
(This story was updated to clarify the security process.)
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for Paste BN. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.