U.S. Homeland Security officials on Wednesday unveiled enhanced security measures for foreign flights arriving in the United States, but not an immediate expansion of an in-cabin ban on laptops and other large electronic devices because they might carry bombs, sources briefed on the matter said.

Speaking at a security symposium in Washington, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said: “It is time that we raise the global baseline of aviation security. We cannot play international whack a mole with each new threat. Instead, we must put in place new measures across the board to keep the traveling public safe and make it harder for terrorists to succeed”.

“I am announcing the first step toward this goal by requiring new security measures to be applied to all commercial flights coming into the United States from abroad. These measures will be both seen and unseen and they will be phased in over time,” he added.

The decision not to impose new restrictions on laptops is a boost to U.S. airlines, which have worried that an expansion of the ban to Europe or other locations could cause significant logistical problems and deter some travel.

Airlines that failed to satisfy new security requirements could still face future in-cabin electronics restrictions, the sources said.

Reuters