American Airlines and CBP Pilot Baggage Screening Program

Updated: April 8, 2025, 7:04pm CDT

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New Program Available in Sydney, With Plans for Future Expansion
Final Thoughts

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American Airlines announced on April 8 that it had partnered with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on a new program aimed at creating a more seamless baggage screening process.

Let’s take a look at this news and what you need to know.

New Program Available in Sydney, With Plans for Future Expansion

American Airlines has announced the International Remote Baggage Screening (IRBS) program. With it, passengers arriving in the U.S. from select international airports no longer have to claim their checked baggage and recheck it with the airline for their connecting flight.

American says that passengers can proceed directly to a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint after clearing CBP passport control instead. In practice, this will allow passengers to have their luggage checked through to their final destination.

American states this program will be available on its daily service between Sydney (SYD) and Los Angeles (LAX). The airline says it plans to roll out the program to other cities but didn’t provide further details.

Sydney International Airport Depatures — Sydney International Airport Departures. Image Credit: Greg Stone

“As part of our innovation efforts in air travel, CBP is leveraging technology to enhance baggage inspections to further secure and streamline travel,” said Diane J. Sabatino, the acting executive assistant commissioner office of field operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

American says it is the first airline to launch such a program, but it’s not the only one that has considered such a move.

Delta Air Lines announced last year that it would pilot a similar program on flights between Tokyo (HND) and Atlanta (ATL), but it hasn’t yet come to fruition. When it does launch, the airline plans to add Seoul as well.

“Anyone who has traveled and connected in the United States knows that it’s a difficult experience,” Jeff Moomaw, Delta’s vice president of the Asia South Pacific Region, told Japanese outlet The Mainichi last year. “We will soon be able to remove that part of the experience.”

Bottom Line:

This news comes a few months after American launched the One Stop Security program. This program allows customers to connect to international destinations outside the U.K. through London Heathrow Airport (LHR) from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). These travelers won’t have to clear security screening a second time. The program is only available for passengers connecting in terminals 3 or 5.

Final Thoughts

American Airlines and CBP are rolling out a new pilot program to make the baggage screening process less frustrating. While it is currently only available on American’s service between Sydney and Los Angeles, we hope it expands soon to other international destinations!