US introduces additional airport screening

WASHINGTON, June 28 (KUNA) -- In a bid to avoid expanding the laptop ban on Middle Eastern airlines to US carriers, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Wednesday announced additional screening procedures at airports, but gave few details about what exactly travelers will experience.
"These measures will be both seen and unseen, and they will be phased in over time," DHS Secretary John Kelly said in a statement.
"They will include enhanced screening of electronic devices, more thorough passenger vetting, and new measures designed to mitigate the potential threat of insider attacks," he explained. "We will also lay out a clear path to encourage airlines and airports to adopt more sophisticated screening approaches, including better use of explosive detection canines and advanced checkpoint screening technology." More airports overseas will also become "preclearance locations," Kelly added. "This not only enhances security, it also increases convenience by allowing international travelers to go through customs and border security screening before boarding their flights to the United States," he said.
Domestic flights will not be affected.
However these new procedures are "a starting point," Kelly noted, suggesting further steps will be taken "to make aircraft more secure, to reduce insider threats, and to identify suspicious passengers." The US will "launch a concerted effort with our foreign partners to put in place wider counterterrorism improvements" including "better information sharing, expanded exchanges of terrorist watchlists, and more advanced security checks of travelers around the world," Kelly affirmed. (end) ys.bs