US bomb plot forces air travel crackdown

Thousands of Kiwis face flight delays and new emergency airport security measures, including rigorous luggage searches and the use of sniffer dogs, after the weekend's attempt to blow up a plane in the United States.

US-bound passengers could be banned from using in-flight entertainment systems and electronic devices – including iPods, laptops and digital cameras – and be made to stay seated during the last hour of the journey.

They could also face higher airfares to pay for the extra security.

The moves follow an alleged attempt by a Nigerian to blow up a plane flying 278 passengers from Amsterdam to Detroit on Saturday, NZ time.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, believed to be linked to al Qaeda, has been charged with trying to ignite an explosive device on the plane as it neared Detroit. He suffered extensive burns and was overpowered by passengers and crew.

At Auckland Airport – the only New Zealand airport with flights to the US – security was beefed up on Saturday after a worldwide request from the US Transportation Administration. It could be weeks before the restrictions are relaxed.

New Zealand's Aviation Security Service general manager, Mark Everitt, said passengers flying from Auckland could expect full body searches. Screens had also been put up so that US-bound passengers could be isolated once they had passed through X-ray areas.

There would also be more rigorous luggage searches, the use of dogs and strict enforcement of the hand-baggage limit of one piece per passenger.

He would not comment about the extra security that passengers would face once they had gone through X-ray areas or whether there was extra security on planes. "It's just a matter of working through how serious this threat is and making changes to adapt."

Passengers flying into the US yesterday reported that they were banned from using electronic devices and had to stay seated during the last hour of their flights.

American authorities have also told airlines to suspend use of their in-flight mapping systems, the in-flight displays that show the location of an aircraft and how far it is from its destination. This has forced some airlines to disable their entire in-flight entertainment systems.

The security measures were designed to be "unpredictable" so that passengers should not expect to see the same thing at airports around the world, Mr Everitt said.

Delays to flights from Auckland were likely and passengers were urged to arrive at the airport at least three hours before a flight.

The less their carry-on luggage, the quicker the processing. "The faster we can get processed the better chance we have of getting the plane away on time."

In Britain yesterday, flights from Heathrow and Gatwick airports to the US were delayed by nearly three hours.

About 20 extra security staff are likely to be needed at Auckland Airport each day. Mr Everitt said the costs associated with the extra security would be passed on to Air New Zealand and Qantas, the airlines which provide US flights from Auckland.

An Air NZ spokeswoman said the airline would meet the Aviation Security Service "first thing in the new year" before deciding whether the costs would be passed on to passengers.

Government duty minister Nick Smith urged passengers to be patient when going through security.

- © Fairfax NZ News