The last-minute airport water chug – or getting stopped with a bottle full – in the TSA security line could soon be a thing of the past.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is reportedly considering allowing travelers with TSA PreCheck to bring full water bottles through security checkpoints “in the coming months.” That's according to an exclusive report from CBS News published Wednesday, citing anonymous Trump administration officials.
That policy wouldn't be relaxed nationwide – only at “at a select number of airports” to start. Administration officials didn't identify which airports would be first to allow water bottles through, but it hinges on the use of new CT scanning technology that can distinguish water from other liquids and that's not available across the country just yet.
And it's unclear whether other liquids could be allowed through airport security. The TSA reportedly isn't ready to ditch the unpopular 3.4-ounce liquid limit or the 3-1-1 policy altogether yet.
But if implemented, allowing water would remove an annoying pre-security hassle for many travelers … and provide yet another incentive to get TSA PreCheck.
This is just the latest in a series of proposals for relaxed security screening rules from the Trump administration in the past two years.
The Trump first signaled last summer it was looking at softening the the 3.4-ounce limit for liquids, gels, and aerosols that's been in place since 2006 – though that rule is still in place more than a year later. Last July, TSA ended the requirement to remove shoes at all security checkpoints. And just this week, the TSA announced a new Gateside program, allowing PreCheck members who don't have a boarding pass to pass through security at select airports to welcome, send-off, or meet-up with friends and family members.
Many of these restrictions and requirements were put in place in following the Sept. 11 attacks, the 25th anniversary of which will be remembered this Friday.
Bottom Line
The TSA is considering allowing full water bottles through security checkpoints, according to CBS News.
That would reportedly only be available to travelers with TSA PreCheck – and only at select airports equipped with the newest scanning technology. But it's the latest in a series of moves loosening restrictions at TSA checkpoints over the past few years.
