Chaos as laptop ban set to start on security pretext

Insurers warn gadgets in the hold are not covered, experts say bombers will just reroute their journeys; Britain bans laptops, iPads, Kindles and consoles on flights from six countries; airlines may lose billions as flights from Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia affected; Dubai Duty Free to lose $2m; experts call ban ‘pointless’ because laptop bomb in hold could bring down plane; Emirates defends its security; US ban termed protectionist, part of trade war

LONDON/WASHINGTON: The cabin laptop ban on UK-bound flights from terror hotspots must be enforced by 14 airlines by Saturday, it was revealed on Thursday.

According to Daily Mail, the policy announced yesterday has already caused chaos with airlines left in the dark about when it would begin and passengers told their gadgets won’t be insured.

Large electronics such as laptops, iPads, Kindles and game consoles have been outlawed from hand luggage on services into Britain from  six countries amid fears terrorists have perfected a new type of airline bomb. 

The ban, largely mirroring a US version starting on Friday, will affect direct flights to the UK from Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia from Saturday, causing airlines to suffer losses running into millions of dollars. 

The restriction affects flights to the US from ten international airports in the Middle East. Those airports include the cities of Cairo, Egypt; Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Istanbul, Turkey; and Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

But passengers 'should go to the airport with the expectation that the measures are already in effect', the Department for Transport has said.  Experts have called it 'pointless' because they believe terrorists could still bring down a plane using a bomb in the luggage hold or they could just try to fly from an unaffected country. 

Former British Army officer, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, an expert on chemical and biological weapons and on the region, said: 'You could hide half a kilo of this in a laptop which could be enough to bring down a plane.'

British Airways says they are 'advising' customers to follow the new rules.  Some business customers are furious they won't be able to work on laptops during their flights while parents are concerned about how to occupy their children.

It is also still unclear what will happen to passengers who arrive at the gate with banned devices.  Air industry consultant John Strickland warned that the ban will cause 'headaches for airlines and customers' but said carriers have 'no choice but to put security first' when official advice is given.

According to CNN, Intelligence obtained in recent weeks found that an al Qaeda affiliate was perfecting techniques for hiding explosives in batteries and battery compartments of electronic devices, according to a US official.

The discovery that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was looking to exploit batteries and their compartments in laptops and other commercial electronic devices led the United States and United Kingdom to ban devices larger than a cellphone from certain flights, the US official told CNN. A US official told CNN that intelligence shows growing capability from ISIS, al Qaeda in Syria and al Shabaab as well AQAP.

According to Gulf media, Dubai Duty Free is set to lose US$2 million from the ban on laptops and large electronic devices on US flights. "The electronics ban will mean that passengers cannot carry on board electronic items, including those purchased in duty free, that are larger than the commonly available smart phone," said a Dubai Duty Free spokesman. "We do not believe there will be an exception."

The president of Emirates, the Middle East’s biggest airline, defended security measures at its Dubai hub on Wednesday and said that the ban on electronics other than mobile phones in the cabins of US-bound flights came as a surprise. 

According to the Washington Post, the US ban may be part of a trade war against government-funded airlines, the Washington Post reports. According to Bloomberg, there’s a protectionist element to the ban, too, which some theorize might be intended to hurt Arab airline competitors. To avoid dealing with the hassle of having to store electronics in their checked luggage, some travellers may choose to take alternative routes through Europe to avoid flying with Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways, and having to comply with the new travel restrictions. 

In Israel, renowned for its aviation security, the ban had a former airport security chief shaking his head on Wednesday. "I don't quite understand the decision," said Pini Schiff, former head of security at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport, pointing to security gaps in the new rules that anyone aiming to smuggle explosives on to a commercial airliner might exploit.

On the other hand, Philip Baum, a UK-based aviation security analyst and editor of Aviation Security International, says that it may be harder to activate laptop bombs if they’re in the carriage of a plane, but he says gate screening is more effective than cargo screening.

Banned devices include cameras, tablets, e-readers, portable DVD players, game units, travel printers, and scanners. Smartphones are still allowed, though there is some confusion around the government’s definition of a smartphone. An FAQ posted on the DHS website does not specify the maximum size of smartphones that will be allowed on planes, stating only: “Smartphones are commonly available around the world and their size is well understood by most passengers who fly internationally. Please check with your airline if you are not sure whether your smartphone is impacted.” In other words, you know it when you see it.

The order doesn’t impact any of the countries affected by Trump’s travel ban executive order. That said, civil liberties activists have raised concerns over racial profiling. “The administration hasn’t provided a security rationale that makes sense for this measure targeting travellers from Muslim-majority countries,” Hina Shamsi, national security project director at the ACLU, said in an email. “Given the administration’s already poor track record, this measure sends another signal of discriminatory targeting.”

Business leaders and companies in India say they are planning to avoid flying to the US on Gulf carriers so they can carry their laptops and tablets on board with them, even if it means paying more for tickets.

"I won’t travel with those airlines via the Gulf anymore," said Asoke K Laha, the founder and chief executive of InterraIT in India, a California-based IT company, who flies to the US regularly via Abu Dhabi with Jet Airways and Etihad Airways in business class. "I need my laptop. I read books on the iPad."

He would opt to fly with United Airlines or with Lufthansa via Europe instead, he said. India is a key market for Gulf airlines and With a population of more than 1.2 billion, India has enormous scope for growth in travel demand.

Air India, the country’s national carrier, may see a jump in passengers after the ban, its finance head said. Etihad Airways PJSC, Qatar Airways Ltd. and Emirates Airline Ltd, which carry about 19 percent of travellers flying to and from India, may be the worst hit by the move to ban. The move may impact about 50 flights a day. UK’s transport secretary, Chris Grayling, has denied that the UK’s decision to impose the ban meant their airport security was lax.