White House Crowdsources Ideas to Make Traveling With Kids Easier
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A surge of responses flooded social media after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked travelers how to make flying easier for families. Many called for an overhaul of airport security, dedicated family lanes and better alternatives to air travel.
While some countries offer streamlined security and passport control for parents with young children, American parents say the U.S. system remains cumbersome, capricious and highly stressful. The feedback painted a vivid picture of the everyday obstacles American families face.
Newsweek reached to the Department of Transportation (DOT) for comment on Monday.
The Context
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked the public for suggestions on improving family travel:
"Tell me how we can make traveling with family great again! There's no better place to raise a family than the U.S.—so I want to make it easier for you to travel with your kids. This is your chance to tell me, your Transportation Secretary, what we can do to improve family travel."
Tell me how we can Make Traveling with Family Great Again!
There's no better place to start a family than the USA so I want to make it easier for you to travel with your kids.
Here's your chance to tell me, your Transportation Secretary, what I can do to make travel easier… pic.twitter.com/TiveRkfd3E — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) April 27, 2025
The post prompted more than 12,000 replies and garnered over 5.7 million views.
What to Know
A resounding number of respondents called for significant changes, with many demanding the dismantling of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), an agency that employs 65,000 people and operates on a $12 billion—and growing—annual budget.
Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, wrote on X, "TSA makes traveling harder but not any safer. We need reinforced cockpit doors but not the rest. Let's go back to airport security like it was in the '90s."
Created in November 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the TSA aimed to restore public confidence in air travel by centralizing security under federal oversight. More than two decades later, critics argue the agency has outlived its primary purpose.
A girl sits on her toy as travelers walk though the TSA security line at O'Hare International Airport on December 23, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. O'hare International Airport is one of the busiest hubs in...
A girl sits on her toy as travelers walk though the TSA security line at O'Hare International Airport on December 23, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. O'hare International Airport is one of the busiest hubs in the nation during the weeks surrounding Christmas and New Years. More
Getty Images
Another X user, Josiah Lippincott, echoed the sentiment: "Get rid of the TSA. The war on terror is over. Airport security should be basic, privately run, and non-invasive. No taking off shoes or belts."
Parents also voiced frustration with some of the seemingly arbitrary TSA protocols. Rich Cabrera posted, channeling frustrated moms and dads everywhere: "Why do I have to take my 2-month-old out of her stroller, break down her stroller and car seat to get through security, then put it all back together on the other side?"
These criticisms align with broader public dissatisfaction. A 2022 YouGov poll found that while 74 percent of Americans believe the TSA makes air travel safer, only 46 percent find the current security measures convenient.
Demands for Family-Friendly Airport Facilities
Many travelers requested practical changes separate from a TSA overhaul, such as dedicated family lanes at security and immigration checkpoints.
"Immigration/customs lines specific for families with kids. I see it all over the world... but not in the U.S.," wrote X user @efraflo7.
Kevin Scelia recalled a positive experience traveling through Istanbul, Turkey: "They had a dedicated family lane for Passport Control. It was great. No stress about breaking down strollers and getting kids through security."
Efforts to streamline airport experiences for families have been sporadic. While the TSA allows teenagers aged 13 to 17 to accompany parents in PreCheck lines when traveling under the same reservation, dedicated family lanes remain rare at U.S. airports.
TSA Officers review air traveler's boarding passes and identification at a security checkpoint inside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport December 27, 2009, in Arlington, VA, near Washington, DC.
TSA Officers review air traveler's boarding passes and identification at a security checkpoint inside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport December 27, 2009, in Arlington, VA, near Washington, DC.
PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images
Travelers also criticized the inefficiency of domestic air travel. User Beccaloom wrote, "It should not take five hours of travel time to get from [Kansas City] to Chicago. Planes and airports should be DESIGNED to board and deplane SWIFTLY."
Another common complaint involved airline seating policies that often separate families unless extra fees are paid. Kendra (@Kendrawriter) wrote, "Eliminate charges to sit together. This will vanish problems not just for families but also improve airplane civility."
Although the Biden administration encouraged airlines to guarantee family seating without additional charges, compliance remains voluntary and inconsistent. Research from the Department of Transportation shows that only a handful of airlines have fully adopted the policy.
Meanwhile, travel industry experts note that U.S. airports often rank below global competitors in terms of family-friendly policies and amenities.
Broader Transportation Solutions: A Push for High-Speed Rail
Beyond air travel, there was widespread frustration about the lack of national train alternatives. Noah (@noah0005_) posted, "We want a full extensive 'Trump Train' high-speed rail network, or at least Amtrak services connecting the USA like we used to have."
The sentiment reflects a growing national debate. Legislators like Representative Seth Moulton, Democrat of Massachusetts, have pitched a $205 billion federally funded high-speed rail system to connect the country.
However, under the Trump administration, high-speed rail projects have faced federal funding withdrawals and heightened scrutiny, particularly in California and Texas.
This Dec. 6, 2017 file photo shows one of the elevated sections of the high-speed rail under construction in Fresno, Calif.
This Dec. 6, 2017 file photo shows one of the elevated sections of the high-speed rail under construction in Fresno, Calif.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
In California, where a high-speed rail line connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles has been in the works since 2008, the project has become so mired in delays, bureaucratic red tape and ballooning costs that it served as a case study for a new book about in ineffectual liberal governance called Abundance, by the journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. The authors argue that, because California is entirely governed by Democrats, the failures of the high-speed rail line are entirely of the party's own doing.
What Happens Next
On X, Duffy thanked the public for their strong engagement and said his team would review all the comments to compile a list of the best ideas, which he plans to share publicly. He acknowledged that TSA-related issues were the top travel complaint but noted that the agency falls under the Department of Homeland Security. He pledged to discuss the matter with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
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