American Airlines is offering “seamless” connections for travelers and their checked bags in partnership with the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the UK Department for Transport (DfT).
The new process enables customers traveling from London Heathrow Airport and connecting through the airline’s largest hub, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, to clear US customs 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.
The airline says that the One Stop Security (OSS) program is expected to cut connection times by more than half. Without OSS, the process typically includes clearing US customs, claiming checked bags, rechecking bags and then clearing TSA security.
American Airlines has partnered with BagCheck and Brock Solutions to deliver the program.
The launch follows a successful pilot earlier this year at Heathrow, where OSS was introduced for travelers connecting to non-UK destinations.
American Airlines plans to explore opportunities to expand OSS to additional flights and US airports in the future.