Homeland Security to Maintain Confusing Electronics Search Policy

A Muslim social media personality has gone viral on TikTok after he posted a video showing airline staff scolding him for holding up a flight with 300 passengers for 30 minutes, despite claiming he had just been strip-searched by security. 

Brits have an interesting vernacular that includes words and phrases that might confuse many Americans.

Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) have a novel proposal to alleviate the expected congestion at airport security checkpoints this summer. In a letter sent this week to executives at 12 U.S. airlines, the senators called on the carriers to “suspend bag fees for the summer”:

The TSA is trying to figure out how 11 people were able to walk through security without being screened earlier this week at New York’s JFK airport.

Flying to the U.S. from abroad? Get ready for potentially longer check-in times and new security measures. Effective this week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will increase scrutiny on electronic devices travelers bring onboard.

In the latest no-confidence vote on the TSA’s ability to effectively manage security at the country’s airports, Delta today announced “up to $4 million” in additional staffing at 32 airports to augment TSA checkpoint personnel. The Delta workers will assist with non-security tasks, like managing lines and screening bins, freeing up TSA staff to open more lanes and process more passengers.

The ban on electronic devices carried onboard flights to the U.S. and U.K. from select African and Middle Eastern countries has been anything but uncontroversial. While the response at the level of companies and organizations has been mostly muted, travelers on such sites as FlyerTalk and InsideFlyer have expressed considerable skepticism as to both the ban’s underlying motives and its efficacy.

One year ago, Harvard Business School researchers released findings about the home-share rental platform Airbnb—and they weren’t good. The university created Airbnb user profiles under names that are common among African-Americans, and found they were 16 percent less likely to be accepted for a booking. Real Airbnb users of color said they weren’t surprised. Black users shared stories of repeated cancellations and failed booking attempts, using #AirbnbWhileBlack on social media.

As reported last week, the U.S. is seeking to expand its current electronics ban on laptops and other devices on international flights. The current, controversial electronics ban covers flights to the U.S. from 10 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Morocco. An expanded electronics ban would include flights from Europe as well.

Maybe you’ve noticed, maybe you haven’t, but the airport security lines at our nation’s TSA checkpoints have been growing even longer of late, and now one airline is finally fed up enough to do something about it.

We’re proud to align with the new policies of our sister sites TripAdvisor and Viator, and to no longer report on tourism experiences where travelers come into physical contact with captive wild animals or endangered species, including but not limited to elephant rides, “swim with” programs where tourists touch or ride on dolphins, and the petting of captive wild or endangered species.

What is likely to become the new era of airport security began this week at Atlanta and Denver airports, where the Transportation Security Administration is real-world testing a new way to confirm travelers’ identities.