Just read on thehill.com that TSA is about to implement enhanced security at overseas airports where planes fly directly to the United States. According to the article, “The announcement comes after military officials raised concerns about al Qaeda affiliated foreign fighters using Western passports to evade terrorist watch lists.”
Given the situation in the Middle East, I had expected some kind of effort. I’m sure there’ll be noticeable things like gate searches, and other things going on outside of the view of passengers too. I’ll withhold judgement on whether these measures are effective or not, and just wish everyone a safe weekend of holiday travel.
-MJ, July 2, 2014
For the past few years this has been an ongoing issue with Delta flights from Beijing to the US. After security, do not try to board a plane with any liquid, including drinks – they will make you toss them. Duty Free alcohol purchases in the airport may still be OK but China has very strict rules about BYOB on flights, so check before you buy. They do bag checks on the boarding ramp, and once I had to show that a bottle of talcum powder was actually NOT a liquid.
Thanks Colleen. I would expect a good bit of secondary screening, bag dumps, etc. 🙁 Kinda glad I’m crossing the border by train this weekend…. might be interesting to note any security enhancements there too.
fwiw, shoes and electronics were specifically mentioned just now on cnn’s coverage. could be just conjecture, of course.