European airlines brace for expanded laptop ban

No decisions yet; some travelers who work on flights changing routes.

Some carriers are preparing for a moratorium on devices including tablets and game consoles.

European airlines are preparing for the anticipated widening of a U.S. ban on bringing laptops and other large electronic devices on board planes bound for American airports.

Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa are among carriers to say they’re making preparations for the moratorium on devices, including tablets and game consoles, to be expanded to their hubs after initially targeting Mideast and African airports. The European Commission has written to President Donald Trump’s administration to urge cooperation on any new measures.

“We are in contact with our partners and the authorities, and we’re preparing for the possibility,” Air France spokeswoman Ulli Gendrot said by phone. “We understand that there’s a meeting in Washington with airlines on this topic today, so we should know more after that.”

Lufthansa has been working internally on different scenarios for responding to any extension of the ban, spokesman Helmut Tolksdorf said. Both companies have close ties to major U.S. operators, with Air France-KLM allied to Delta Air Lines Inc. and Lufthansa partnered with United Continental Holdings Inc.

The U.S. announced on March 21 that electronic devices larger than smartphones would be banned from cabins on flights originating from eight countries, impacting global hubs including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul. The action, which affects major carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, resulted from fears that bombs capable of downing an airliner could be hidden in the devices.

While a broadening of the restrictions could “only be a negative” for airlines, making on-time departure more challenging and adding costs for loaner devices, it might at least amount to a “zero-sum game” if applied universally to trans-Atlantic operators, said Mark Simpson, an analyst at Goodbody Stockbrokers in Dublin. Carriers impacted by the existing ban have reported a slide in U.S. load factors as some travelers take alternative routes, though that will become less of an option in the event of expanded curbs.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Representative John Katko, a New York Republican who is chairman of the House Transportation Security Subcommittee, have said in recent weeks that the initial measures were prompted by strong intelligence and that an expansion is possible.

A DHS spokesman added Tuesday that a wider rollout of the restrictions was being considered, but that a decision hadn’t been made. The department didn’t respond to an emailed request for more information on Wednesday.

EU Commissioners Dimitris Avramopoulos and Violeta Bulc have meanwhile written to their American counterparts about the matter. The communication says that the bloc has had “a long-standing and fruitful cooperation on security” with the U.S. and that the two should act together “to provide a joint response to shared threats,” spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said Thursday.

Airports Council International, which represents hubs around the world, said it has been liaising with bodies including the International Air Transport Association, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the European Commission and the DHS’ Transportation Security Administration in anticipation of the ban being extended.

“We’re trying to make sure that there is good coordination in airports and airlines,” said Robert

O’Meara, a spokesman for ACI Europe. “The key thing is to make sure the message is communicated to a coherent way.”

British Airways referred calls to the U.K. Department for Transport, which said it doesn’t discuss security measures or comment on speculation. Britain has imposed a laptop ban of its own affecting direct flights from six states.

Dubai-based Emirates said it’s unwilling to comment until an extension has been formally announced and it knows which European countries will be affected. The carrier has suggested the current ban is discriminatory, and is paring capacity to the U.S. as the measures impact occupancy.

Goodbody’s Simpson said that with at least 50 percent of business passengers wanting to work during flights, some could opt to downgrade to premium-economy berths where that’s not an option, hurting airline revenue.

The wait at baggage claim for the collection of checked laptops is also a “big negative,” while handing over devices or using loaners may not be an option for some firms keen to safeguard sensitive information.

Shortly after the original ban was announced the Flight Safety Foundation, a leading aviation safety group, warned that it could create risks by shifting scores of lithium-battery powered devices to cargo holds.