Extra security could cause delays at Canadian airports

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Ont. (AA) – Enhanced security that takes effect Wednesday at Canadian airports mean travelers to the United States may face delays.

Canada’s two airline carriers – Air Canada and WestJet – have issued a warning to arrive at airports a minimum of two hours before flights are scheduled to depart because of tighter security measures dictated by U.S. Homeland Security, Canadian media reported.

The new measures include the removal of any casing on electronic devices larger than a cellphone -- tablets and laptops -- and the units must be fully charged to allow for possible inspection; enhanced passenger screening; and expanded screening of canines.

Homeland Security issued a statement on its website explaining why the enhanced safety measures are necessary.

“We have reason to be concerned about attempts by terrorist groups to circumvent aviation security,” the statement reads.

“The United States and global aviation community face an adaptive and agile enemy. Terrorist groups continue to target passenger aircraft and we have seen a ‘spider web’ of threats to commercial aviation as terrorists pursue new attack methods.”

It is not just Canadians who will be impacted by the new measures.

Homeland Security demands the enhanced security be instituted at the estimated 280 airports around the globe that fly into the United States.

The department cited the 2015 downing of an airliner in Egypt, the 2016 attempt to bring down an airliner in Somalia and “the 2016 armed attacks against airports in Brussels and Istanbul,” as additional reasons for the more stringent rules.