From the New York Daily News:

Strict security rules put into place Saturday will require commercial airline passengers on international flights to stay in their seats for an hour before landing.

The measure was among those imposed by the Transportation Security Administration after a suspected terrorist tried to blow up a Northwest flight as it was landing in Detroit.

"Among other things, during the final hour of flight customers must remain seated, will not be allowed to access carry-on baggage, or have personal belongings or other items on their laps," said a statement posted on Air Canada's Web site, citing the new TSA rules.

I'm for tighter restrictions if that is what is needed, but this doesn't make sense.  It's silly thinking: "Terrorist did X; therefore, we must ban X." 

Think about it.  If this new restriction were in place over the Christmas holidays, what would the Northwest flight terrorist have done?  Answer: He merely would have set off the bomb earlier in the flight! 

So if — IF — the TSA is going to restrict what you can have on your lap, why do it for only last hour of the flight?  It seems to me that even the dimmest terrorist can find a work-around for that.

UPDATE — it gets worse.  There's talk of bans on all electronic devices on international flights.  Jill at Brilliant at Breakfast comments:

Ever since the 9/11 attacks, we've been "tightening airport security" in ways that chase the most recently-used tactic, and don't take at all into account that there's no limit to the ingenuity that people who are not only willing, but eager to die are going to use. Richard Reid tries to ignite explosives in his shoes, and we have to take off our shoes. Someone tries to mix an explosive using toiletries, and we can't take anything larger than 3 ounces on a plane….

[So now…] if your five-year-old has to pee during the last hour of the flight, too bad. If you want to carry a handbag and your laptop bag, too bad. And none of this is going to make one iota of difference, because those who would try to bring down jetliners have already come up with a new and different way to get explosives on planes. How much of checked baggage is really checked for explosives again? And are we going to start doing cavity searches? What makes the TSA think that a guy who seeks martyrdom is going to balk at carrying plastic explosives in his rectum? Is this where we're headed? Cavity searches for everyone? What is this, Beavis and Butthead Do America?