Philippine Airlines will be further enhancing security measures for its U.S.-bound flights in line with the new regulatory requirements of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
PAL will be implementing additional check-in procedures for its Manila-Los Angeles/ Manila-San Francisco/Manila-Honolulu/Manila-Guam, and Vancouver-New York (JFK) flights to comply with the DHS’ intensified security requirements for all flights operating from the “last point of departure to the United States.”
To prepare for this procedure, PAL conducted a dry run on October 2, 2017 (covering all flights except Vancouver to New York) at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 to simulate time and motion experience.
PAL is also advising passengers of U.S.-bound flights to expect a slightly different check-in setup and to arrive at the airport at least three to four hours before flight departure.
Phase 1 of the enhanced security measures—the use of an explosive trace detection (ETD) device on large portable electronic devices (PED)—has been in place since July 19, 2017.
The new U.S. security directive, to be in effect until June 30, 2018, aims to ensure the integrity of all portable devices brought inside the aircraft. The DHS said the extra checks are in response to concerns that terror groups are seeking new ways to circumvent aviation security. The directive covers 280 last-point-of-departure airports with direct commercial flights to the U.S., and will be implemented in phases in coordination with international partners.
Electronic devices that exceed the size limit must be surrendered by passengers to the airline for additional screening at the Redundancy Screening Checkpoint. Necessary medical devices are exempted from additional screening, the airline noted.
“The approximate size of a commonly available smartphone is considered to be a guideline for passengers,” PAL said in an advisory last July.
Examples of large electronic devices that must undergo additional screening include laptops, tablets, e-readers, cameras, portable DVD players, electronic game units larger than a smartphone, and travel printers and scanners.
Passengers of PAL must ensure that large PEDs have sufficient battery charge to power up the devices during additional screening. The electronic protective casing of such devices must also be removed during inspection.
PAL urges passengers bound for the U.S. from Manila and Vancouver to yield to these inspection requirements in compliance with security regulations. PEDs will be allowed on board once cleared at the screening checkpoint.
Image courtesy of khunaspix at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
