New Security Measures Include Pat-Down

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Following the failed terrorist attack on Christmas Day, authorities have added more security measures for air travel, including limiting carry-on bags, restricting movement during the last hour of flight and implementing pat-downs before boarding planes.

Travel Web site Elliott.org has posted a memo reportedly from the Transportation Security Administration sent to US Airways employees regarding stepped-up security measures.

The memo states that airline personnel should perform a "thorough pat-down of all passengers at boarding gate prior to boarding, concentrating on upper legs and torso."

Another measure addressed in the memo states that during flight "passengers may not conceal their hands under blankets, pillows, or personal belongings held on their lap beginning one hour prior to arrival at destination."

After a two-day clampdown, some in-flight security rules have been eased. The Associated Press reported that at the captain's discretion, passengers can have blankets and other items on their laps or move about the cabin during the tail end of flight, two industry officials briefed on the situation said Monday.

The New York Times reported that passengers on international flights coming to the United States had to remain in their seats for the last hour of flight without any personal items on their laps.

On Saturday Jennifer Allen was on a Northwest Airlines flight on the same route as the plane that was disrupted by the attempted bomber. She said she was well-searched before boarding the flight.

"They patted you down really well," said Allen, 41, to The Canadian Press . "It wasn't just a quick rub, it was a slow pat. They went through everything in your bags, went through the pockets in your pants, the pockets of your coat."

The Canadian Press also reported that young children were pat-down before boarding a flight.

The Department of Homeland Security released a statement stating that "passengers flying from international locations to U.S. destinations may notice additional security measures in place. These measures are designed to be unpredictable, so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere."

The Associated Press reported that a woman returning from an international flight in Philadelphia said that security screeners in Santo Domingo asked her to lift her long hair so they could look at her back.

The tougher security measures were imposed after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, flying from Nigeria to Amsterdam then to the U.S. on a Northwest Airlines flight, tried to ignite an explosive as the plane prepared to land in Detroit.