Those planning to spend the New Year in the US will likely face long delays as EU airports with direct connections to American cities step up security after the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a plane destined for Detroit.
In the wake of this bomb scare, security has been tightened in major airports, including London, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
On the other hand, security at the Malta International Airport, which has no direct flight connections with the US, has remained the same and a spokesman said it was business as usual.
"We are still applying the same strict security measures we had before the Christmas day bomb scare and no further measures have been taken so far from our side," the spokesman said.
The tightened security in Europe has come into effect after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, was arrested for allegedly trying to detonate explosives on Northwest Airlines flight 253 from Amsterdam. He reportedly released the dangerous explosive which caught fire on his body but did not detonate.
Passengers travelling to the US must now undergo an extra security check and US authorities have requested all European airports to tighten security controls.
Travellers have reported delays of between one and two hours following the introduction of full body searches for all passengers and more stringent checks on hand luggage, especially liquids, such as baby milk.
Some airlines have prevented passengers from carrying more than one bag on board, including duty-free purchases, while other passengers have been prevented from using the toilet in the last hour before landing in the US. They have been asked to stow all items, including pens, blankets and computers, during the pre-landing period.
In-flight information has also been affected, with some carriers no longer indicating the geographical position of the aircraft while en route in case it proves useful to an attacker.
This latest incident is expected to leave its mark on the EU as it will reignite the debate on whether more security is required at its airports.