Check your electronics or fly American
#1
Original Poster
Check your electronics or fly American
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/u...ops-cabin.html
Honestly, what will they think of next? Either this is an attempt to help US carriers fend off Middle East airline competition or it's just plain stupid.
Honestly, what will they think of next? Either this is an attempt to help US carriers fend off Middle East airline competition or it's just plain stupid.
#2
Several morning (and probably fake) news sources are saying it's due to a threat assessment regarding Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) who have apparently become adept at disguising bombs in electronic devices. How this would keep someone from using his/her phone to detonate a bomb packed in a bag in the cargo hold is unknown, but presumably the idea is to make it risky enough that the baddies would pick another method.
It's certainly a knife to the heart of Emirates, Qatar and Turkish Airlines, all of which have been expanding their service into the US bigly. They all depend on connecting traffic through their hubs, which means for practical purposes people will have to check their laptops all the way. These airlines depend on business travel in premium cabins, and this will probably wipe out a big chunk of that.
No US carriers have nonstop flights to/from the airports subject to the rule: AMM, IST, DOH, AUH, DXB, RUH, JED, CMN, KWI and CAI.
It's certainly a knife to the heart of Emirates, Qatar and Turkish Airlines, all of which have been expanding their service into the US bigly. They all depend on connecting traffic through their hubs, which means for practical purposes people will have to check their laptops all the way. These airlines depend on business travel in premium cabins, and this will probably wipe out a big chunk of that.
No US carriers have nonstop flights to/from the airports subject to the rule: AMM, IST, DOH, AUH, DXB, RUH, JED, CMN, KWI and CAI.
#4
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,482
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This does not make any sense in this day and age, when we all need our tablets etc. all the time esp. during travel.
Seems like UK is going to follow this insane rule too.
Hope, this plan will create havoc for business travelers too, who typically use air time to work on laptops.
Can all of us travelers somehow send a message to someone to stop this crazy rule and figure out a better alternative.
Thanks for sharing.
Seems like UK is going to follow this insane rule too.
Hope, this plan will create havoc for business travelers too, who typically use air time to work on laptops.
Can all of us travelers somehow send a message to someone to stop this crazy rule and figure out a better alternative.
Thanks for sharing.
#5
Original Poster
UK is doing the same thing, although it applies to countries rather than airports, and not just to Middle Eastern airlines:
UK airlines will come under the ban, including British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2, Monarch, Thomas Cook and Thomson. Foreign carriers affected are Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airways, Atlas-Global Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Egyptair. Royal Jordanian, Tunis Air and Saudia.
From: https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...east-countries
Maybe there really is some specific threat, but I have a hard time seeing the threat is less if the offending gizmo is in the hold. And then there are those batteries...
UK airlines will come under the ban, including British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2, Monarch, Thomas Cook and Thomson. Foreign carriers affected are Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airways, Atlas-Global Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Egyptair. Royal Jordanian, Tunis Air and Saudia.
From: https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...east-countries
Maybe there really is some specific threat, but I have a hard time seeing the threat is less if the offending gizmo is in the hold. And then there are those batteries...
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,270
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#7
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 720
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
UK has issued similar restrictions, oddly enough they don't include the likes of Dubai which is on the US list
It seems a bit widespread to be specific intelligence and putting laptops, tablets, cameras and other electronic devices into the cargo hold is a risky business - both from things disappearing and the potential for Lithium Ion batteries to explode
It seems a bit widespread to be specific intelligence and putting laptops, tablets, cameras and other electronic devices into the cargo hold is a risky business - both from things disappearing and the potential for Lithium Ion batteries to explode
#8
>>but I have a hard time seeing the threat is less if the offending gizmo is in the hold. And then there are those batteries…<<
I think the theory is that hold luggage can undergo seriously more robust inspection that the brief scan of carry ons . . .
I think the theory is that hold luggage can undergo seriously more robust inspection that the brief scan of carry ons . . .
#9
Original Poster
But it mostly doesn't. I was tracked down at one airport (Busan, I think) to come look at my checked bag because I had a spare battery I had completely forgotten in the bottm. But at that point I had been through eleven airports including Busan itself without a murmur.
#11
Original Poster
In that case, why have US carriers been complaining about Middle East airlines?
See, e.g. http://crankyflier.com/2015/02/17/us...-do-they-know/
See, e.g. http://crankyflier.com/2015/02/17/us...-do-they-know/
#12
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 7,763
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
<i>This does not make any sense in this day and age, when we all need our tablets etc. all the time esp. during travel.</i>
Untrue.
You need none of that. Print it out like you did five years ago and bring a book.
Untrue.
You need none of that. Print it out like you did five years ago and bring a book.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
AAFlyer90
United States
6
May 18th, 2015 08:37 AM