U.S., Europe differ over laptop ban
Countries’ cultures, views on air safety and privacy vary
The U.S. and Europe differ over whether to expand a ban on electronics larger than cellphones in carry-on bags aboard airliners — an example of how security officials can disagree about how to respond to the same threat.
John Kelly, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has considered expanding a March electronics ban on flights from 10 airports in the Middle East and Africa to Europe or all international flights. “The threats are real,” Kelly told reporters Friday at Washington Reagan National Airport.
But Europeans, who share his concerns about making sure flights are secure, have resisted a broader ban. In weeks of discussions with U.S. counterparts, they have explored other methods, such as improved screening at airport checkpoints.
Different approaches also followed the initial electronics ban in March.
The U.S. focused on flights of nine foreign airlines from 10 airports in eight countries. Yet the United Kingdom followed with a ban on flights including domestic airlines from six countries, two of which were different from the U.S. list. And other European countries didn’t adopt any ban.
“Intelligence is always subject to interpretation — there are no slam dunks,” said Brian Michael Jenkins, director of the National Transportation Security Center at the Mineta Transportation Institute.
The latest security concern focuses on the Islamic State planting an explosive inside a battery that still allows a laptop to be turned on, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because officials aren’t authorized to speak publicly about intelligence matters.
The debate is over how to cope with that threat, given the cost and inconvenience an electronics ban would cause. Airlines raised concerns about losing $1 billion in productivity a year from depriving travelers of electronics during flights. Some safety experts and pilots have warned against moving more electronics to checked luggage because of the risk of rare fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries that could go undetected in cargo.
Each country’s national mood and the culture’s philosophy about privacy also play a role. More than half the U.S. (51%) is “very” or “somewhat” worried about themselves or their family becoming a victim of terrorism – the highest since 59% expressed concern after the attacks Sept. 11, 2001, according to the Gallup poll. “The anxiety levels are fairly high,” Jenkins said.
Europe resisted for years providing as much information about airline passengers heading to the U.S. as security officials sought. “I think the Europeans most likely are more willing to assume more risk based on their philosophy surrounding privacy and how they generally look at their population,” said James Norton, a former deputy assistant secretary of Homeland Security. “That is also probably weighing in the back of their minds: What are the Americans thinking? If we do this, what’s after that?”