UK joins US’s plane cabin ban on devices
Ten airports in the Middle East affected by US ban on laptops, tablets and other gadgets, which must now be checked in
ABU DHABI, NEW YORK // The UK followed much of the US ban on large electronic devices in cabins of inbound flights, but unlike the US action has not included the UAE in its list of affected countries.
Phones, laptops and tablets larger than 16 centimetres by 9.3cm by 1.5cm are not allowed in the cabin on flights to the UK from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tunisia.
Chris Grayling, the British transport secretary, said the decision followed a similar US ban and “we have been in close contact with them to fully understand their position”. Unlike the US, the UK decision does not apply to UAE flights. The US announced its ban on the devices for US- bound flights, which will come into effect on Saturday, amid warnings that the move would cause chaos at check- in desks and confusion for passengers. The US department of homeland security (DHS) yesterday said for passengers travelling from 10 airports in the Middle East, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, all devices larger than a mobile phone would no longer be allowed in the cabin.
Laptops, tablets, games consoles and portable DVD players will have to be checked in. The Trump administration issued the emergency directive at 3am New York time to carriers that serve the US from the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Morocco, in response to unspecified terror threats.
The DHS also said it “selected these airports based on the current threat picture”, without elaborating. The ban will affect about 50 flights from the Middle East every day.
US administration officials said the new rule was based on “evaluated intelligence”, but that the decision had nothing to do with president Donald Trump’s efforts to impose a travel ban on passengers from six majority-Muslim nations.
The ban coincides with attempts by United, Delta and American airlines to have the government stem access to the US for Etihad Airways, Emirates and Qatar airlines, claiming the latter three benefit from state aid. The airlines vigorously deny the claim. None of the US carriers fly from the 10 hubs listed.
Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and Turkish airlines have most to lose.
The four Middle East operators rely on transfer passengers who may need access to devices for business use and could easily travel via European hubs, Bloomberg reported.
Emirates airline said it was informed the ban would come into force on Saturday, March 25, and would run until October 14, although the DHS described the ban as indefinite.
“It is applicable to all US-bound passengers from Dubai International Airport, whether originating or transiting through,” said an Emirates spokeswoman.
Aviation analyst Mark Martin from Dubai said the ban was troubling for business travellers.
“Nobody will be willing to part from their laptop or tablet on a long-haul flight, especially if you have sensitive data,” he said.
Daniel Benjamin, who served as coordinator for counterterrorism at the US state department under secretary of state Hillary Clinton, said Al Qaeda had some extremely innovative bomb makers and that it would not be surprising to see ISIL attempt to make a mark with an attack on aviation.
“I don’t understand why only some carriers have been singled out, but I can imagine some scenarios in which these restrictions might make sense,” he said.
“In the unlikely case that there were factors that didn’t have to do with security, I’d be pretty confident that will come out.”
Aviation expert Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, said there would probably be teething problems as passengers at busy hubs such as Dubai adapt to the new rules.
“Airlines will obviously encounter delays as check-in staff will have to educate passengers, get them to remove such devices and re-pack them,” he said.
“Some passengers will not want delicate electronic items going in the hold for fear of damage and may even choose to abandon their flight plans altogether.
“The real challenge will be to determine why it does not apply to European, Asian or Latin American carriers – there seems to be a great degree of application inconsistency.”
The steps are likely to have limited success in curbing the terrorist threat since people will still be able to fly from the Middle East via hubs such as Frankfurt, where there are no limits on in-cabin devices, Mr Martin said.
“When it comes to aviation, there’s a thin line between paranoia and precaution,” he said.
“We can’t call it a surprise, as normally, whenever there is new intelligence that suggests there could be a threat, others have the right to increase their security measures,” said Hamad Al Muhairi, assistant director-general of the aviation security affairs sector at the GCAA.
“This usually happens from the US or UK, or even from the UAE sometimes. The US has the right to increase security measures until the threat has gone.
“I am waiting on my team to collect all of the information on how this could affect cabin crew. The operator of airlines must inform passengers to remove all loose devices bigger than a cell phone.
“Normally, when we try to implement any new security measures there are issues to resolve, that is to be expected.” The move comes at a time when the big US legacy airlines are hoping that Mr Trump’s populist approach to protecting American jobs would help them in fighting off growing competition from foreign airlines.
On Friday, a coalition including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and industry unions launched an advertising campaign asking the Trump administration to take action against Emirates, Etihad and Qatar airlines.
The Partnership for Open and Fair Skies claims American jobs are threatened by airlines based in Qatar and the UAE, which they alleged were breaching Open Skies agreements by receiving government subsidies.
“There are 1.2 million quality American jobs that are being threatened every day by Emirates, Etihad and Qatar airlines,” said Jill Zuckman, the group’s chief spokesperson for the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies.
“We are respectfully looking to president Trump and his administration for help.”
The blitz included newspaper adverts in The New York Times and The New York Post and a six-figure TV campaign.
David Lapan, a spokesman for the department of homeland security, denied any connection. “This is completely unrelated,” he said.