TSA Preparing To Let PreCheck Passengers Bring Water Through Airport Security

TSA is considering letting PreCheck passengers bring full bottles of water through airport security, at least where CT scanners are in use at the checkpoint. Twenty years after the liquid restrictions began, travelers might finally be allowed to keep the water they brought from home instead of dumping it out and replacing it on the other side of the checkpoint. The initial change would be limited to PreCheck passengers only, water only, and at certain airports. But a detente in the War on Water is long overdue. This is something former TSA administrator John Pistole called for in 2014. The initial rollout would depend on Analogic CT scanners and the ability to identify the liquid inside a bottle. According to the New York Times, former Administrator Pistole says the change is unlikely to come before the holidays. TSA, for its part, says only that change is coming ‘as technology evolves’ though the Analogic scanners were first stood up at DFW airport in November 2017. The current TSA administrator confirms they’re considering allowing PreCheck members to bring water bottles through security. As technology evolves, T.S.A.’s multilayered security protocols will evolve, including benefits for our most trusted travelers. However, the existing 3.4-ounce rule may remain in place for other liquids even if water bottles get exempted. So you still have to dump your Starbucks, and peanut butter – which the TSA considers a liquid! – would remain banned. The War On Water Began In August 2006 On August 10, 2006, the U.S. imposed a near-total ban on carry-on liquids and gels after British authorities disrupted a sci-fi plot to attack transatlantic flights using liquid explosives concealed in drink bottles. There were exceptions for items such as essential medication and infant feeding. On September 26, 2006, TSA replaced that broad prohibition with the current small-bottle, quart-bag system. It initially specified three-ounce bottles but changed that to 3.4 ounces, which is 100 milliliters. PreCheck passengers have literally been vetted and are unlikely to be plotting attacks on planes with liquid explosives that are detectable by modern technology. In fact, the idea that the ban had outlived its usefulness has just taken ages to work its way through the bureaucracy. On November 21, 2014, I wrote that the outgoing TSA chief wanted liquid restrictions lifted, at least for PreCheck passengers. Of course, wishing for this on the way out wasn’t as useful as actually changing the rule. Nearly 12 years later, bureaucrats haven’t acted. They’re afraid of getting blamed for any incident after loosening the rule, while they accrue little benefit from lifting it. Surely A Vetted Passenger Can Be Trusted With Screened Water I’ve long supported the idea behind PreCheck: identify lower-risk passengers and stop wasting resources which are diverted from real threats. TSA itself has never believed that the liquids were dangerous. Otherwise when they confiscate them, hazmat teams would be called. Instead, they’re tossed in bins beside the checkpoint. In April 2023, when London City Airport relaxed its liquid restrictions, TSA suggested it would wait until the new machines were universal.. in the 2040s (by which time technology would have long passed them by). Even this change, it seems, won’t allow you to bring your own full-sized toiletries, carry on a bottle of wine you don’t want to trust to checked baggage, or avoid a fee for checking those items in. The other challenge will be predictability – knowing which checkpoints participate and what happens if their PreCheck lane is closed. But different rules on the return trip don’t make the outbound benefit worthless. As I noted when the U.K. began easing its restrictions three years ago, if I’m allowed to bring water through security on the way out, I don’t need the return airport to agree. I’ll have already consumed it.