US seeks more airport security, could expand airplane laptop ban

Enlarge / A passenger places a laptop computer back into his bag after passing through a TSA check point at Salt Lake City International Airport. (credit: George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In a speech today, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly said that airlines that don't get on board with new security procedures could see electronic devices banned on their airplanes—or be barred from flying the US altogether.

The Department of Homeland Security today said it will be demanding "enhanced security measures" for all commercial flights going into the US. The specific measures, which will be both "seen and unseen," aren't specified in a DHS fact sheet, but they generally include enhanced passenger screening, "heightened screening of personal electronic devices," and "deploying advanced technology, expanding canine screening, and establishing additional pre-clearance locations."

The new measures will affect 105 countries hosting approximately 280 airports, 180 airlines, and about 2,100 daily flights carrying 325,000 US-bound passengers.