25 years after the "9·11" attacks, the United States began to gradually ease some of the aviation travel restrictions that had been in place for many years. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has recently allowed more passengers to skip shoe removal during security checks and has launched a pilot program that enables eligible passengers to enter the boarding gate area without their boarding passes.

Boarding gate area reopens

TSA This week, we are launching a free program called Gateside, which is open for application by eligible "trusted travelers," including TSA PreCheck members. Those who are approved will be able to enter the boarding gate area without a boarding pass after passing security checks.

According to TSA, this arrangement can be used for picking up and dropping off family members, meeting friends during long layovers, or accessing the airport's dining and retail areas. Applicants must submit their applications online 1 to 3 days in advance and can only proceed after approval is granted.

Currently, this project has been implemented at 13 airports in the United States, including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and Salt Lake City International Airport. Since the "9/11" incidents, access to the boarding gate areas after security checks has been strictly restricted to ticket holders for a long time. This adjustment is seen as a significant relaxation in recent years.

Some security inspection rules have been adjusted.

In addition to adjustments to boarding gate access, the United States has also been reorganizing some security procedures in recent years. Last year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that regular passengers no longer need to remove their shoes during security checks at airports. This rule originally stemmed from the attempted "shoe bomb" attack at the end of 2001.

There are currently no official changes to the liquid carry rules. The current restrictions on liquids carried in handbags date back to 2006, when the UK thwarted a plot to carry out an attack using liquid explosives. However, some airports have installed new types of scanning equipment, allowing passengers to keep liquids in their bags during security checks. The specific implementation still depends on the airport and the configuration of the security checkpoints.

There are also more security inspection services available for passengers to choose from than in the past. TSA offers a PreCheck plan, with a cost of $76.75 for 5 years; participants can use faster security inspection lanes. Private company Clear provides fast lanes for identity verification based on biometric recognition.

• PreCheck is a government pre-examination project.
• Clear Provides private and fast verification services
• Both types of services exchange more personal information for greater efficiency in access.

Security focus shifts to new threats

Although some of the old restrictions are being relaxed, U.S. aviation security authorities have not lowered their vigilance. Industry insiders say that the current threats have expanded from early-era inspections for explosives to areas such as AI, cybersecurity, and drones.

Aviation security professionals who have worked at TSA have pointed out that the range of risks faced by the transportation system is expanding, and related technologies are also being continuously updated. As protection technologies advance, potential attackers will seek new ways to break through, therefore the investment in aviation safety systems will continue to remain high.

Private security inspection pilots once faced setbacks.

At the end of last month, a plan named TSA Gold+ was also cancelled. This plan was intended to involve stronger private security checks at some airports. The new director of TSA, David Cummins, stated that a new cooperation scheme will replace the original plan in order to make better use of private sector resources.

Tampa International Airport in Florida once evaluated participating in the project, one of the reasons being the hope to reduce the impact of a shortage of federal security personnel during the government shutdown. However, the airport management ultimately decided not to proceed, stating that they did not receive clear enough answers to technical issues.