NOW ARRIVING: New security screenings for US-bound passengers

BOSTON — New security measures are taking off at airports across the country and they will affect anyone flying into the United States from another country, including Americans coming home from a trip abroad.

The new security measures went into effect at midnight Thursday, and some of the first passengers to undergo the checks are expected to land at Logan Airport in Boston later Thursday morning.

And it doesn’t matter where you’re flying from.

International travelers at Logan all had one experience in common – enhanced security procedures at their point of departure.

“I don’t like to be held up, but I like to be safe,” Wendy Robbins said.

The security enhancements cover passengers’ personal electronics like laptops and cell phones, and they will have to undergo short interviews.

The measures were announced in June and we implemented Thursday.

The changes aren’t the result of a specific threat, but just a general concern.

“There were rumors that terrorist organizations were trying to work with, you know, laptops and phones and other electronic items to see just how much explosive material they were able to get into those items,” Dan Linsky said.

The new layer of security will involve random checks, but it targets all international flights entering the United States.

About 2,100 land at Logan every day.

With all passengers potentially subjected to enhanced security whether they’re visiting or coming home.

“I have no problem when I’m checked more heavily because I think it’s better to be safe,” one international passenger said.

The FAA realizes that the enhanced security surrounding laptop computers may lead some travelers to put them in checked baggage, but they don’t want you to do that because it could cause another issue – a fire in the cargo hold from overheated lithium ion batteries.

Cox Media Group