U.S. to ramp up commercial air security

Inbound international flights are to undergo increased security based on new plans announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including enhanced screening of personal electronic devices (PADs) through more-thorough passenger checking.
The new regulations will be applicable to all commercial flights into the U.S., which involves approximately 325,000 passengers travelling daily on 180 airlines that are affected. Roughly 2,100 flights from approximately 280 airports in 105 countries will have to apply the new rules on a daily basis.
According to DHS Secretary, John Kelly, “We cannot play international whack-a-mole with each new threat. Instead, we must put in place new measures across the board to keep the travelling public safe and make it harder for terrorists to succeed.”
Kelly has said that the changes will “raise the global baseline of aviation security,” which will involve enhanced passenger screening, improved screening of personal electronic devices, and improved security around passenger areas and aircraft.
The number of locations across the globe used for pre-clearance will also be increased. In a statement from the DHS: “stakeholders who fail to adopt these requirements within certain timeframes run the risk of additional security restrictions being imposed.”
When talking about the ban on PDAs larger than a smartphone being allowed on board flights to the U.S. from ten Middle East and North African countries, introduced in March, Kelly indicated that the decision had been based on “evaluated intelligence and real concerns we had about terrorist plotting,” adding that the country’s enemies “are constantly working to find new methods for disguising explosives, recruiting insiders, and hijacking aircraft.”
DHS also said the ban affecting direct flights from those ten countries would be removed if they each complied with the increased security measures provided in the TSA directive.