When you’ve needed to pull out your ID on the airport gate for a safety recheck, you are not alone.
In current weeks, it seems the Transportation Safety Administration has upped its screening protocols — at the least briefly — for sure flights.
In some instances, the TSA has rechecked vacationers’ IDs proper on the gate. For different departing flights, brokers have carried out secondary bag searches on the jet bridge.
Whereas the TSA has lengthy had such techniques in its safety arsenal, the additional screenings seem like occurring extra ceaselessly this month. And so they’ve occurred most frequently on flights to the New York Metropolis space, based mostly on anecdotal experiences shared by a slew of TPG staffers, readers and frequent flyers we have spoken with over the previous few weeks.
Precisely what’s going on?
Up to now, the TSA hasn’t particularly commented on the heightened protocols, as a substitute referring broadly to its “a number of layers” of safety to maintain vacationers secure.
However an aviation trade supply tells TPG the “enhanced measures” skilled lately are because of the ongoing United Nations Common Meeting in New York — and a “frequent follow” carried out at airports forward of main high-security occasions.
What to find out about TSA secondary screening
What must you count on should you’re on one in all these flights?
In all probability, you will want to drag out your ID once more. It is also attainable brokers will wish to briefly sift via your carry-on bag.
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I encountered secondary screening on a Sept. 8 flight from Raleigh-Durham Worldwide Airport (RDU) to John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK). As I ready to board, the gate agent introduced that the TSA could be rechecking each flyer’s identification as they proceeded to have their boarding go scanned.
That very same day, Senior Editorial Director Nick Ewen and Senior Credit score Playing cards Editor Giselle Gomez had related experiences on New York-bound flights from different U.S. cities.
So did TPG’s Clint Henderson, twice this month — together with one encounter at Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) he captured, under, on digital camera.
And Tuesday night, some vacationers confronted further bag checks on the jet bridge on Senior Motels Reporter Tanner Saunders‘ flight from Dallas Fort Price Worldwide Airport (DFW) to New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
“TSA brokers had been stopping folks and looking their baggage,” Saunders stated.
Why is the TSA rechecking some vacationers’ IDs?
Secondary TSA checks aren’t unprecedented.
Since its founding within the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror assaults, the TSA has periodically carried out secondary screening of vacationers even after they go via checkpoints — together with on the gate.
However most vacationers seldom encounter such extra screenings — although added safety checks can occur when there is a main occasion (just like the U.N. Common Meeting) going down.
“Nothing is extra vital to TSA than making certain the safety of our nation’s transportation methods and conserving the touring public secure,” a TSA spokesperson stated in its solely assertion addressing our questions. “TSA’s a number of layers of safety are each seen and unseen to maintain threats at bay and our transportation methods safe.”
A myriad of TSA modifications in 2025
2025 has introduced quite a lot of modifications to the TSA’s screening protocols.
In July, the company ditched its long-standing requirement that vacationers in the usual safety lanes remove their shoes.
And that got here two months after the launch of Real ID requirements, which had been meant to create a extra unified commonplace for verifying passengers’ identification at airports.
As for the continued safety checks on New York-bound flights, the U.N. Common Meeting is scheduled to run via the top of this month.
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