U.S. – Enhanced Airport Screening for Many Visitors

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, it looks certain that flying to the U.S. will never be the same again. 

All airlines flying routes to the U.S. are under stricter security since the Christmas Day failed bomb attack on the Northwest flight from Schiphol to Detroit. 

The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is tightening up security for all airlines with inbound flights.

Travellers from certain countries, especially those which are known or believed to sponsor terrorism, will be subject to additional screening and random screening, including pat downs and enhanced carry-on luggage searches.

Passengers most affected by the new tightened security and enhanced screening procedures will be those flying from or connecting through: Iran, Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.

U.S. airports have also increased screening of passengers acting suspiciously and many will be subject to pat-downs, full-body scans, luggage searches, sniffer dogs, and scans with explosives detection technology.

Immediately after the Christmas Day incident passengers were required to stay in their seats during the last hour of flights into the U.S., but this emergency procedure was later abandoned. 

According to reports, Schiphol airport in Amsterdam plans to begin mandatory use of full-body scanners within weeks for transatlantic flights.  The same appears to be planned for airports in Italy, including Rome and Milan, Heathrow and other UK airports.

If you have plans to visit the U.S. under the visa-waiver programme, be sure to comply with the new ESTA rules (Electronic System for Travel Authorization).  For more information visit our Travel Guide to the United States and follow the link for the Foreign Office (FCO) ’Know Before You Go’ Country Advice for important and updated information and links. 

Don’t forget to take out travel insurance before you depart – for a quote click here.

Flickr Image: Hunter-Desportes (Landing in New York)