The U.S. ban on notebooks and tablets in the cabin of certain inbound international flights may be extended to European countries, including the UK. Any electronic device larger than a phone would have to be placed in hold baggage.
The ban, which currently extends to flights from 10 airports, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa, was introduced last month with the Department of Homeland Security stating that it was in response to intelligence suggesting that terrorists planned to smuggle explosives inside certain consumer electronics.
A new report from The Guardian has stated that the Trump administration is “considering” extending the ban to inbound flights from Europe.
The Department of Homeland Security offered the following comment:
“We’ve said we will continue to evaluate the threat environment and make determinations based on that assessment, but we have not made any decisions on expanding the current restrictions against large electronic devices in aircraft cabins from selected airports.”
Such a move would prevent passengers from being able to work or relax with their devices during their flight.
As the ban would also apply to American citizens returning home, it would likely also hit demand for U.S. travel to Europe.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac and The Guardian