After news broke of Australian authorities thwarting an alleged “Islamic-inspired” plot to bring down an airplane, passengers are now advised to arrive at airports hours earlier to undergo additional screening as part of enhanced safety measures.
Airlines such as Tigerair Australia and Qantas are requesting that passengers arrive at the terminal at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights, according to travel alerts on their websites.
Passengers are also asked to limit the amount of carry-on and checked baggage where possible to help ensure efficient screening.
A Tigerair alert published on July 29 read: “The travelling public can expect to experience an increased level of security scrutiny at the airport but they should not be concerned about these precautionary measures. As the measures place an additional burden on the screening system, it may take a little longer than usual to get through the process.”
Since then, many accounts of delays and long lines at Australian airports have hit social media and news outlets.
The terror plot was brought to light after a counterterrorism raid across Sydney, which led to the arrest of four men.
At press time, little information on the suspects or the terror plot has been made public.
