The TSA (Transportation Security Administration) is reportedly exploring a program that could soon allow PreCheck members, those who get to benefit from expedited security screening and new access improvements, to carry full water bottles through security.
The proposal is under active consideration, with the change eyed for the coming months.
For now, the scheme is restricted to just some airports that run the newer, more advanced CT scanners, which can tell water from other liquids and pick out anything that’s worth worrying about. The agency has not yet named the airports that would be first in line, however.
It’s worth noting that the program is not by any means a replacement for the old 3-1-1 rule. This is a narrow carve-out for water for TSA PreCheck in a few places. Carry-on liquids must still fit in containers of 3.4 ounces or less.
Great tech, empty pockets
The holdup is money. Scanners that can detect full water bottles already exist. The problem is, the TSA just doesn’t own enough of them, or at least not anywhere near what a nationwide rollout would require, even one limited to PreCheck. And the funding to buy them just isn’t there.
The scarcity story comes right on the heels of another PreCheck perk, a program called Gateside by TSA, which lets approved members without a plane ticket get through security and into the gate area. Similar to this one, Gateside runs at a limited capacity, with only thirteen airports offering it at the moment. More could follow once the agency sees how the first batch handles the crowds.
PreCheck, if you’ve never bothered with it, is the government’s expedited-screening program. You basically get to skip the regular line and move through faster. Eighty-five dollars or less for five years, depending on where you sign up, and you pass a background check first. The quicker screening usually runs for about 10 minutes.
Sources: TSA Gateside, TSA PreCheck, TSA Bottled Water Rule, ABC7, CBS News