In recent weeks, travelers have reported increased security measures at airport gates, with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) rechecking identification and conducting secondary bag searches for certain flights. These procedures, while not new, appear to be occurring more frequently this month, particularly on flights bound for the New York City area.
Multiple staff members from The Points Guy (TPG), along with readers and frequent flyers, described being asked to show their IDs again at the gate or having their carry-on bags inspected before boarding. For example, one TPG contributor experienced a secondary ID check on a September 8 flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport. On the same day, Senior Editorial Director Nick Ewen and Senior Credit Cards Editor Giselle Gomez encountered similar checks on other New York-bound flights. Clint Henderson of TPG also documented an incident at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport where TSA agents were verifying travelers' IDs ahead of a Delta Air Lines flight to New York.
Tanner Saunders, Senior Hotels Reporter at TPG, noted that his Tuesday evening flight from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to LaGuardia Airport included additional bag inspections by TSA agents on the jet bridge. "TSA agents were stopping people and searching their bags," Saunders said.