Airline Security Copes With Terrorist Threat

Aug. 10, 2006 — -- After British officials announced today they had thwarted a terror plot to blow up commercial jets in flight, the airline industry put in a tougher new security regime in a matter of hours.

Even though travelers at airports across the United States and Great Britain endured lengthy delays and changes to baggage allowances, reaction time in the United States was heralded a success.

But air travelers will have to have to rethink what they pack in their carry-on luggage to keep lines at airports moving, said John Nance, ABC News aviation consultant.

After the plot's details were announced, the airline industry "turned on a dime" to implement stricter security searches, Nance said.

"In four hours to be able to institute a new range of procedures is amazing," said Nance. "The lines are getting much smaller across the country as people get the message."

"It's now really easy to ramp up luggage inspection," Nance added, as he described the changes in security measures since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The announcement early today that British officials had thwarted a terrorist plot to kill thousands of people by detonating liquid explosives onboard flights headed to the United States led to a chaotic interruption in air services. Flights were backed up three to four hours at airports around the country, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Homeland Security Advisory System Threat Condition was raised to "Severe" for all flights operating between the United States and the United Kingdom, and the threat condition on all other international and domestic flights was raised to "High."

But while today's passengers must patiently suffer the consequences, future travelers can possibly ease the check-in congestion if they follow the guidelines released by the Transport Security Administration and individual airlines.