22 MAR 2017: The Business Travel Coalition has issued a statement and analysis on the situation. It says that while the TSA points to a changed threat environment as rationale for banning virtually all consumer electronics except cell phones from carry-on luggage from 10 airports in the Middle East and Africa with service provided to the US by 9 foreign airlines – all in countries that are US allies, it indicates that there is no specific or credible threat of an imminent attack.

“The ban does not apply to US airlines because there are no nonstop flights from those airports to the US However, why was Lagos, Nigeria not included as Delta Air Lines has a nonstop flight to that severely security-challenged country? The ban only applies to the last point of departure to the US, consequently, a laptop-carrying passenger could board an Air France flight at Istanbul and connect in Paris on Delta Air Lines to New York.

“If a bad actor seeks to cause harm to US-bound aircraft all that is necessary is to fly from these 10 airports on US airlines’ alliance partners connecting in Europe to the US Moreover, a terrorist intent on bombing a plane with a laptop will simply fly out of France, Germany or Britain to the US . Making this ban even more questionable is that Abu Dhabi has sophisticated airport security operations sufficient to qualify for preclearance with US Customs and Border Protection officers located there.

“Many TSA observers will no doubt question this ban. Few aviation experts would suggest that it is prudent to load an aircraft hold with hundreds of electronics with lithium batteries some of which could be overcharged or damaged. If a battery catches fire in an aircraft cabin, as with the Samsung Note 7, it can be dealt with promptly. A fire in the hold a thousand miles out in the Atlantic Ocean is another matter. However, passengers have even more to be worried about with this ban.

“TSA has implored travellers for years not to put valuables in their checked baggage because of theft and damage from handling. Now in addition to $1,000 laptops, tablets, E-readers, portable DVD players, electronic game units, travel printers/scanners and cameras will have to be checked. Photojournalists traveling on business will have to check equipment worth tens of thousands of dollars. No doubt leisure and business travellers will now have to take risks in checking these valuables, or purchase what will become increasingly expensive insurance. And parents will be at a loss as to how to keep their children occupied.

“Importantly, the productivity hit on business travelers and their organizations will be significant, if not intolerable.

“Here’s the US Government’s guidance: “TSA recommends passengers transferring at one of the 10 affected airports place any large personal electronic devices in their checked bags upon check-in at their originating airport.” So, travellers departing Ahmedabad, India connecting through one of the affected Gulf airports onto New York City will be deprived of their laptops for 19 hours.

Such a ban is simply unworkable for most business travellers. They need to be productive during their trips. Many business travellers do not check luggage, even on long flights as it slows them down upon arrival at baggage claim. Now they will have to check their electronics with many paying for the privilege. Of deeper concern will be trade secrets and other sensitive and valuable information that are stored on many business travellers’ laptops that could be copied or stolen.

There are some 250 international airports serving the US. Using US airlines’ alliance partners, or simply flying from one of the other 240 airports, represents a relatively easy workaround to this ban.

Unless there is actually a known threat from these 10 airports that the US Government desires not to share, by extended logic electronics should be banned from all airports serving the US This current ban harms business traveller productivity, dampens demand for inbound US travel and competitively advantages US airlines and their alliance partners – who have been pursuing protectionist strategies against the Middle East carriers.

At a bare minimum, TSA should approve a process at these 10 airports whereby those travellers needing their laptops during flight could have an option of perhaps additional screening and turning their laptops on in the presence of a security officer, which is already the practice at Abu Dhabi International Airport.