Call for answers over device ban
Travel industry leaders say travellers deserve to know more
Executives at two major United States travel groups have called on officials to give travellers a clearer understanding of why they have banned personal electronics on certain US-bound flights from eight Muslim-majority nations.
The US and Britain yesterday imposed restrictions on carry-on electronic devices on planes coming from certain airports in Muslimmajority countries in the Middle East and North Africa in response to unspecified security threats.
The US Department of Homeland Security said passengers travelling from a specific list of airports could not bring into the main cabin devices larger than a mobile phone such as tablets, portable DVD players, laptops and cameras.
Instead, such items must be in checked baggage.
“The American travel community supports efforts to make flying more secure,” said Jonathan Grella, a spokesman for the US Travel Association. “We urge the federal Government to make every effort to minimise disruption to legitimate travellers by clearly and quickly articulating the details of the new policy to enforcement personnel and the flying public. Even with security as a justification, it does not absolve authorities of the responsibility to communicate.”
Initial news of the ban was met with questions and confusion after Royal Jordanian Airlines made the announcement via Twitter on Tuesday. It wasn’t until yesterday that American officials responded, announcing the new restrictions.
Although civil liberties groups raised concerns that US President Donald Trump was seeking another limit on movement after a travel ban from Muslim-majority countries was challenged in the courts, Britain took similar steps. Ukrainian lawmaker Serhiy Leshchenko yesterday released a 2009 invoice that he said links Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort to attempts to hide a US$750,000 ($1.1 million) payment from a pro-Russia political party — a claim strongly denied by Jason Maloni, Manafort's spokesman. Leshchenko said the invoice was for 501 computers but that the contract was a cover for payments made to Manafort for work he did for the pro-Russian Party of the Regions in Ukraine, which backed former Russiafriendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the country amid anti-government protests in 2014. Trump signed legislation yesterday adding human exploration of Mars to Nasa's mission. The measure amends current law to add human exploration of the red planet as a goal for the agency. The White House has announced what is expected to be Trump's first foreign trip as President. Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the President would travel to Brussels, Belgium, on May 25 for a meeting with Nato heads of state.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said there would be curbs on electronic items in the cabin on flights from six countries in the Middle East.
The Foreign Office said the measures would be implemented by March 25.
The moves were apparently prompted by reports that militant groups want to smuggle explosive devices inside electronic gadgets.
The ban would continue for the “foreseeable future”, a US Government official said yesterday, adding that it was possible it could be extended to other airports and other countries.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer declined to talk about the intelligence that prompted the new steps or explain why some countries were left off the list.
Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said he “spoke to the intelligence community over the weekend, and this is a real threat”.
US officials say militant groups are known for innovative bomb designs, including embedding them inside computers.
French and Canadian officials said they were examining their arrangements but neither government was taking additional security measures at this stage.
The airports covered by the US restrictions are in Cairo; Istanbul; Kuwait City; Doha, Qatar; Casablanca, Morocco; Amman, Jordan; Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates.
The affected airports are served by nine airlines that fly directly from those cities to the US about 50 times a day, senior government officials said.
The carriers — Royal Jordanian Airlines, Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways — have until Saturday to adopt the new policy, which took effect yesterday.
No US airlines are on the list because there are no direct flights on them between the US and the cited airports, officials said.
Britain said its restrictions would apply to direct flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
The British regulations affect British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Monarch, Thomas Cook, Thomson, AtlasGlobal, Pegasus, EgyptAir, Royal Jordanian, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, Turkish Airlines and Tunisair.
IAG-owned British Airways advised customers departing from affected airports to arrive in good time at check-in.
A US government source said that