The airport expertise retains getting much less nerve-racking for passengers flying to the U.S. from overseas — particularly for vacationers hurrying to catch a connecting flight.
In latest months, we have seen the U.S. chill out some safety protocols for passengers after an extended intercontinental flight. This particularly applies to flights from the U.Ok. and Australia.
Up subsequent are flights from South Korea.
Delta Air Strains introduced on Wednesday that passengers flying into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) from Seoul’s Incheon Worldwide Airport (ICN) now not have to attend (after which recheck) their baggage earlier than heading to their connecting flight.
These passengers’ baggage will now switch proper to their subsequent airplane, similar to they might on a home connection.
Which will sound like a reasonably small change, however Delta estimates that this shift may save vacationers a median of 25 minutes. That is treasured time throughout a layover.
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Simplifying safety guidelines after a world flight
Usually, vacationers flying inbound to the U.S. must undergo an arduous sequence of steps earlier than reaching their connecting gate. They must clear passport management, wait for his or her bag, recheck it after which return by means of safety.
Over the previous few months, airways (alongside the Transportation Safety Administration) have began decreasing a few of these necessities for vacationers flying into the U.S. from sure nations with comparable safety protocols.
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In actual fact, simply two weeks in the past, Delta (and Virgin Atlantic) eliminated the bag and safety recheck necessities for passengers connecting in ATL after an inbound flight from London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR).
American Airways not too long ago launched the same “one-stop safety” trial for its passengers connecting at Dallas Fort Value Worldwide Airport (DFW) after a flight from LHR.
Seoul-Atlanta connections get simplified
Now, that idea is increasing (although in a extra restricted capability) for Delta passengers flying from Seoul to Atlanta after which connecting to a different flight.
These vacationers nonetheless must reclear safety, however their baggage will switch proper over.
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Why the TSA says that is secure
By the partnership, South Korean safety officers ship the TSA X-ray pictures of passengers’ baggage taken on the bottom at checkpoints at ICN.
TSA brokers can study these pictures whereas passengers are flying, eliminating the necessity for a recheck after the flight.
“By leveraging superior expertise and enhancing our processes, we’re driving innovation in air journey that provides an additional layer of safety whereas streamlining the entry course of for worldwide journey,” Diane Sabatino, U.S. Customs and Border Safety’s performing government assistant commissioner of operations, stated in a press release Wednesday.
The brand new one-stop protocols additionally prolong to passengers flying Korean Air, Delta’s SkyTeam alliance associate, which additionally operates flights between Seoul and Atlanta.
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Which airports have one-stop safety?
Whereas many passengers will cheer the much less cumbersome safety guidelines, this does imply the postflight protocols are much less constant from one airport to a different.
Here is a fast rundown of all of the one-stop applications now in place, as of Aug. 13:
- When you’re flying from London to Atlanta or Dallas, you may skip the bag and safety recheck and head proper to your connecting flight.
- When you’re flying from Seoul to Atlanta on Delta, your baggage will switch proper to your connecting flight, however you will nonetheless must reclear safety.
- When you’re flying from Sydney to Los Angeles on American Airways, your bag will switch proper to your connecting flight, however you will nonetheless must reclear safety.
Moreover, in the event you’re flying from Atlanta or Dallas to London and connecting at LHR, you may skip the safety recheck there (baggage already switch proper to connections).
Backside line
The U.S. authorities has stated that it hopes so as to add partnerships with extra nations to those streamlined safety protocols. That ought to assist save passengers time within the U.S. and at airports abroad.
Delta, for one, advised TPG that it hopes to remove the safety recheck requirement for passengers coming from Seoul and connecting in Atlanta within the close to future.
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