US Likely to Expand Ban on Larger Electronics on Airlines

The intelligence behind plans to broaden a US ban on in-flight laptops and tablets to include planes from Europe took center stage on Wednesday as American and European officials met to discuss the looming decision.

Second, without more clarity on the necessity of these new security regulations, USA (and UK) intelligence officials lose credibility.

The comments from the IATA chief, who was previously CEO of Air France-KLM Group, come as USA and European Union officials prepare to meet in Brussels Wednesday to discuss the widening of the ban, which also covers tablets and games consoles while excluding smaller devices such as phones.

A USA official, which Flynn as a retired military officer would be considered, must, by law, both seek permission and report income derived from any activity with a foreign government.

“The EU invited the U.S. to come to Brussels next week for talks at political and expert level.to jointly assess the potential risks and review future measures”, the spokeswoman said.

While the Trump administration did not say whether the policy was due to new intelligence reports, experts agreed the rule was likely based on legitimate threats. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the confidential meeting.

So, with an expanded new ban looming, what does this all mean for airlines, airports, and most importantly, the passengers?

The Guardian reports the ban affects six United Kingdom airlines – British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2, Monarch, Thomas Cook and Thomson – as well as eight foreign carriers.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security is reportedly considering expanding the electronics ban to flights from Europe to the United States.

“On this we need a bit more time”, Ky said.

The afternoon meeting included high level executives from Delta Air Lines Inc DAL.N , United Airlines Inc UAL.N , American Airlines Group Inc AAL.O and trade group Airlines for America, the sources said.

The move, which requires passengers to put the devices into checked baggage, came amid concerns that jihadist groups were devising bombs disguised as batteries in consumer electronics items.

Customer experience aside, a laptop ban could have a profound effect the airlines from a business perspective.

DHS spokesman David Lapan said no announcement was planned for Friday on whether the U.S. government will expand the ban and that no final decision had been made on expanding the restrictions.

Airlines and security officials in Europe have expressed concern about the administration’s plans, which would inconvenience travelers and disrupt airports just as the busy trans-Atlantic summer tourist season begins.

Does the USA ban single out specific airlines?

He said the political and technical talks would “jointly assess any new threats and work towards a common approach to address them”.

First, and most gravely, is the fire risk that comes with placing very large numbers of lithium battery-powered electronics into the hold – laptops that are not packaged safely, may not always be turned off, and which are inaccessible if something goes wrong.