Aussies dodge US mobile device flight bans

Australians travelling into the United States by plane will be exempt from strict new security measures implemented by the US transport authority to avoid terrorist attacks.

The US Transportation Security Administration announced yesterday it would implement tighter security measures for passengers flying into the United States with electronic devices.

Passengers carrying mobile phones, tablets, and laptops, among others, will need to prove their devices have power in front of transport officers before boarding.

Uncharged devices will be barred from continuing onto the plane. The device owner will also be subject to additional screening.

A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Infrastructure told iTnews the new security arrangements only applied to flights departing from Europe, Africa and the Middle East bound for the US.

The spokesperson said Australia had not been asked to implement the enhanced aviation security restrictions.

"The national public terrorism alert level remains unchanged at medium," the spokesperson said.

"The Australian Government works closely with its international partners to address changes to the global security environment. For operational reasons we are not able to comment on this matter further."

Both Qantas and Virgin Australia confirmed they had not yet received any requests to implement additional security measures for Australian passengers travelling to or from the US.

The new security measures have been put in place to address concerns that mobile phones, tablets, laptops and other electronic devices could be used as an explosive device.

US security officials have previously identified Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones as requiring extra checks.