Airlines to start asking passengers security questions before boarding U.S-bound flights

As part of new security measures being put in place by the United States, airlines would soon start asking passengers security questions before boarding U.S-bound flights

A U.S. government spokeswoman says new security measures on incoming flights to America from abroad “may include” enhancing passenger screening, heightened screening of electronics and increasing security measures and that they “will impact all flights.”

Lisa Farbstein, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the new measures would affect the approximately 2,100 flights arriving daily to America.

She said both U.S. citizens and foreigners would face the same security.

The agency’s comments come as six global long-haul carriers said they will start asking passengers security questions before they board flights at the request of U.S. officials.

Jordan’s national carrier says it will implement new security procedures on U.S.-bound flights in mid-January, at the request of U.S. aviation authorities.

Basel Kilani, a spokesman for Royal Jordanian, said on Wednesday that the airline will submit questions to passengers before check-in.

Kilani says he doesn’t know what types of questions would be asked. He says that Royal Jordanian asked to delay the implementation of the measures until January and that the request was granted.

Royal Jordanian operates direct flights from Amman to New York, Chicago and Detroit.

Air France says it will begin new security interviews of passengers on U.S.-bound flights.

The airline says it will start the new procedures on Thursday at Paris Orly Airport and a week later, on Nov. 2, at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Air France said on Wednesday that the extra screening will take the form of a questionnaire handed over to “100 percent” of passengers.

Egypt’s national airline says it is tightening security on its flights to New York following a request by U.S. security authorities.

In a Wednesday statement, EgyptAir says the new measures will begin Thursday and include more detailed searches of passengers and their luggage and include interviews. The strict procedures will extend to unauthorized agricultural or veterinary products.

The statement did not say if the change was linked to any new specific concerns or threats.

Earlier this year, Cairo was among a list of cities from which U.S. and British authorities banned electronic devices larger than smartphones in carry-on luggage before the ban was lifted.

Airline security in Egypt has been a concern internationally since a bomb killed all aboard a Russian airliner flying back from Sharm el-Sheikh in 2015.