Appearing on the same program, the Homeland Security Committee chairman, Representative Christopher Cox, Republican of California, said the government is working on an assessment of vulnerabilities. "We're doing everything we can to speed that along, to hasten it, but we've got to prioritize," Cox said.
Thirteen flights on British Airways, AeroMexico, and Air France have been canceled or delayed since Dec. 31 because of security fears. Air France canceled six flights between Paris and Los Angeles on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
On Dec. 21, the US government raised the national threat level to orange, suggesting a high risk of terrorist attack, and said threat indicators are perhaps greater now than at any point since Sept. 11, 2001. Dulles International, the point of origin for the Sept. 11 flight that terrorists crashed into the Pentagon, was the destination or takeoff point for eight of the canceled or delayed flights since Wednesday.
A British Airways flight from London to Dulles, canceled twice because of security fears, sat on the ground for more than three hours past its regular departure time yesterday as security checks the United States requested were conducted. In recent days, the flight was twice delayed, including on New Year's Eve, when 247 passengers were held inside the plane for more than three hours after it landed at Dulles.
US officials "have requested to be supplied with extra information about the flight for security purposes before takeoff to Washington, the same as happened yesterday," said British Airways spokesman Paul Parry.
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling of Britain said the decision to cancel the flights was justified on the basis of intelligence warnings. Darling advised travelers to expect an increased number of security alerts in coming years.
"I fear that for many years to come, we are going to be living in an age where there is going to be a heightened state of alert. Sometimes it will be quite severe, at other times perhaps less so," Darling told the BBC program "Breakfast with Frost."
"We are going to have to get used to increased security at airports. From time to time that will be noticeable, and at other times maybe things will be going on behind the scenes," Darling said.
British Airways has not yet decided whether today's scheduled flight from London to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will proceed.
The airline canceled a Saturday flight to Riyadh and one yesterday in the other direction.
