GOOD news for British and Irish travellers to, and within the United States.

Proposed major changes may soon lead to reduced screening hassles for US airline passengers.

The US federal agency in charge of aviation security is considering the changes. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is meeting later

this month to consider a new plan. An initial set of recommendations drafted earlier this month proposed that

passengers no longer would have to remove their shoes.

The requirement has been one of the biggest sources of complaints among air travellers. The agency is currently looking into walk-through devices that

can screen for explosives in passengers' shoes without requiring that they be removed.

Under new guidelines, the ban on razor-blades and small knives could also be lifted, according to newspaper reports.

A TSA memo proposed further to minimise the number of passengers who must be frisked at checkpoints. It also recommended certain categories of passengers such as members of Congress be exempt.

Edmund S. Hawley, the new head of the TSA, has asked his staff to propose more changes in how the agency screens two million passengers a day.

"The process is designed to stimulate creative thinking and challenge conventional beliefs," said a Spokesman.

"In the end, it will allow us to work smarter and better as we secure America's transportation system," he added.

The TSA, which spends more than $4 billion a year on airline security, has come under increased criticism for its often rigid and questionable

standards.