"We can't just look for prohibited items because there's a list that says we have to and we shouldn't spend time trying to decipher between 3 ounces and 100 milliliters," Pistole said in a statement.

He said the threat to airport security could not be tackled using a "cookie cutter approach."

"The bottom line is that the future must be focused on providing the best possible security for travelers in a way that provides greater scrutiny to those who need greater scrutiny, and not using a cookie cutter approach for everybody," he said.