The BBC's Richard Lister reflects on how air travel security has tightened in recent years
Security is being tightened at airports with direct flights into the US - including some in the UK - in response to US warnings of a "credible threat".
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin confirmed the measures, saying they were being taken to protect the public.
While he would not specify what steps would be involved, he ruled out "significant disruption" to passengers.
It comes amid US media reports that al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria and Yemen are developing bombs to smuggle on planes.
A US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said the changes were a response to a "real time" and "credible" threat but it could not comment on specific intelligence matters.
'Harm'
"Aviation remains an attractive target to global terrorists, who are consistently looking for ways to circumvent our aviation security measures."
The official said information about specific enhancements and locations were sensitive. He said: "We do not wish to divulge information about specific layers of security to those who would do us harm."
The BBC understands the security changes are not expected to cause big delays at Heathrow - one of the busiest hubs for flights to the US.
It is understood airport terminals will look normal and problems like those encountered when the limit on liquids carried on board was introduced are not expected.
by Richard Westcott, BBC transport correspondent
The unspecified measures will be put into place in some airports with direct US flights
The UK government isn't giving any details about what these security changes actually are, but they haven't ruled out longer queues at security.
The statement from the department for transport merely says that the majority of passengers should not experience significant disruption.
What we do know is that all of the old rules remain in place. So you will still have to put liquids into separate, see-through bags, take your laptop out of your bag, take off your belt and maybe your shoes before going through security.
It's also not clear whether these changes will affect every airport, and whether they are limited to flights to and from the United States, which has prompted this move.
The actual terrorism threat level remains the same, at substantial. That's the middle of the five threat levels and means that an attack is a strong possibility.
The transport secretary said while the UK had one of the "toughest" security regimes in the world, it was important that it took these measures to both protect the travelling public and instil confidence.
Mr McLoughlin told the BBC that "very stringent" measures were already in place, but that the UK had to take action when given information and advice to do so.
In a statement, the UK Department for Transport added that it would not comment on the detail on those changes.
DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson also said in a statement: "We will work to ensure these necessary steps pose as few disruptions to travellers as possible.
"We are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies and are consulting the aviation industry."
The changes will be made in the "upcoming days", the department added.
by Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent
Longer queues are a possibility
The reason behind these heightened security measures on transatlantic flights is the conclusion reached by western intelligence analysts that al-Qaeda's highly specialised bomb-making expertise has "proliferated" from Yemen to Syria.
Three times since 2009 a Saudi bomb maker called Ibrahim Al-Asiri, hiding in Yemen, has been able to build viable explosive devices that evaded airport security.
Since then it is believed he has been busy passing on his lethal knowledge to a whole generation of al-Qaeda operatives, some of whom are now thought to be in Syria with European passports.
To date, the devices have been based on non-metallic 'low-vapour' explosives, hard but not impossible to detect.
Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen, known as AQAP, has surprised western intelligence officials with the innovation and sophistication of their devices.
Al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, and Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) are believed to be working together to try to develop explosives that could avoid detection by current airport scanners.
The Arab Spring upheavals of 2011 have left much territory in Yemen ungoverned, giving the AQAP the opportunity to move in and carry out attacks on government positions.
Yemen also has become one of a handful of countries where the US acknowledges using drones.
US drone strikes in the country have killed large numbers of jihadist plotters, but civilians have also died in the attacks, prompting criticism from human rights groups.
Ben Friedman, an expert in defence and homeland security at the Cato Institute in the US, said the current concern about airport security was that European-based fighters travelling under European passports would connect themselves to bombs.
'Serial failures'
He said the authorities were particularly worried about bombs implanted inside people or bombs made from non-metallic elements. However, there was no concrete information about when an attack might occur, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Authorities say they will work to limit disruption for passengers
Mr Friedman added that it was important to remember that attempts by the Yemeni bomb makers in the past to blow up planes had failed.
"While we want to be prudent and cautious… these guys are serial failures," he said.
He referred to the Christmas Day underwear bomber, who failed to take down a US-bound flight in 2009, and a failed attempt in which a bomb was hidden in a printer cartridge in a cargo plane in 2010, which was also bound for the US.
"It's not like they have a track record of unmitigated success. It's closer to the opposite," Mr Friedman said.
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Jeh JohnsonSecretary of US Department of Homeland Security"We are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies and are consulting the aviation industry."”
Ben FriedmanExpert in defence and homeland security"While we want to be prudent and cautious… these guys are serial failures”
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