If you have to take out your ID at the airport gate for a security check, you are not alone.
In recent weeks, the Transport Safety Administration appears to have at least temporarily raised its screening protocols to certain flights.
In some cases, TSA rechecked the traveler’s ID at the door. For other flights departing, the agent conducted an auxiliary luggage search on the jet bridge.
Although TSA has long adopted this strategy in its security arsenal, additional screenings appear to be taking place more frequently this month. And, based on a series of flyers from TPG staff, readers, and frequent visitors we’ve talked to over the past few weeks, they usually happen on flights to the New York area.
what is going on?
So far, TSA has not made a special comment on the enhanced protocol, but has broadly referred to its “multi-layer” security to ensure travelers’ safety.
But the “enhancement measures” that TPG has experienced recently are due to the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York and the “common practice” implemented at the airport ahead of major high-security incidents.
Knowledge about TSA secondary screening
If you are using one of these flights, what should you expect?
You may need to withdraw your ID again. Agents may also want to briefly screen through carry-on bags.
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I encountered a secondary screening on a flight from Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU) to John Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on September 8. When I was about to board the plane, Gate Agent announced that TSA would recheck the identity of each flyer when scanning the boarding pass.
On the same day, senior editorial director Nick Ewen and senior credit card editor Giselle Gomez had similar experiences on flights encountered in New York from other cities in the United States.
The same goes for TPG’s Clint Henderson twice this month – including an encounter at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), which he captured on the camera below.
On Tuesday night, some travelers faced extra bags of checks on a flight from Fort Dallas Worth International Airport (DFW) to New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
“TSA agents are stopping people and searching for luggage,” Sanders said.
Why does TSA recheck some traveler IDs?
The secondary TSA examination is not unprecedented.
Since its inception on September 11, 2001, TSA has conducted secondary screening even after passing the checkpoint (including at the doorstep) even if they have passed the checkpoint.
However, most travelers rarely encounter such additional screenings – despite the possibility of security checks in major events such as the United Nations General Assembly.
“Nothing is more important to TSA than ensuring the safety of our national transportation systems and ensuring public safety of travel,” a TSA spokesperson said in its sole statement addressing our issue. “The multi-layered security layers of TSA are considered and invisible, unable to protect threats, and our transportation systems are safe.”
Countless TSA changes in 2025
2025 brings various changes to TSA’s screening protocol.
In July, the agency abandoned its long-standing requirement for travelers in standard safe lanes to take off their shoes.
This is two months after the launch of the real ID requirement, aiming to create a more uniform standard to verify the airport’s passenger ID card.
As for ongoing security checks on flights killed in New York, the UN General Assembly is scheduled to be held at the end of this month.
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