TSA preparing for "big announcement" that would radically alter the airport screening process

Just one week after announcing the end of its long-standing shoes-off rule at airport checkpoints, the TSA may be getting ready to ditch another major traveler headache: the liquids restriction.

At the Hill Nation Summit on July 16, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — who oversees the TSA — teased that big changes could be coming to what passengers are allowed to bring in their carry-ons. “I will tell you — I mean the liquids — I’m questioning,” she said during an interview with NewsNation’s Blake Burman, as reported by The Hill. “So that may be the next big announcement is what size your liquids need to be.”

Read more: TSA just warned travelers about a big checked luggage no-no

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That would mark a major shift from the current policy, which limits travelers to one quart-sized bag of containers, each 3.4 ounces or smaller. Anything larger has to go in checked luggage. The TSA has enforced this rule since 2006, when the agency first introduced it following a foiled liquid bomb plot.

The potential change comes amid a broader push to modernize and streamline airport security screenings. According to Noem, new scanning technologies could soon make the existing liquids ban obsolete — and she hinted at a more seamless future: “Hopefully the future of an airport where I’m looking to go is that you walk in the door with your carry-on suitcase, you walk through a scanner and go right to your flight.” She even floated the idea that travelers could reach their gate in as little as one minute.

Read more: TSA warns travelers that this "will not be tolerated" at airports this summer

While the update isn’t official yet, Noem confirmed that the DHS is already working with private companies to pilot the new tech in a handful of airports before any nationwide rollout. “It’s not certainly anything we’ll be announcing in the next week or two,” she said, “but we're working to see what we can do to make the traveling experience much better and more hospitable… but also still keep safety standards.”

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In short: Don’t toss out your travel-size shampoo bottles just yet. But if the TSA follows through, the days of chugging your water bottle in line might finally be numbered.

Read more: This is the one thing you should never put in a TSA bin — it’s the top item stolen at security, expert warns

Yahoo CreatorAlesandra DubinAlesandra (Alice) Dubin is an award-winning travel and lifestyle journalist. She has a BA from UC Berkeley and an MA in journalism from NYU. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their twins.FollowFollow