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Some people are saying that this move is intended to hurt the business of foreign airlines flying into the USA such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. These airlines have taken away the international travel market in a big way and this move will be detrimental to their profits. Many Business Class passengers will be reluctant to fly without their laptops on board.
That might be true. The middle eastern airlines were killing business for American competitors in US. Offcourse we all know how great Delta, United and American are. When it comes to flying out side of US, there are better options, newer planes, more comfort and service.
I flew the Etihad A-380 from JFK to Abu Dhabi this past December on the way to India. It was a long 12.5 hour flight. You can only look at video screens for so long before you want to do other things, be it on a laptop or tablet.
I don't see that A-380 being full in the future, especially the first and business class. I doubt that one would endure the torture of a 12+ hour flight with nothing much to do to kill time.
I carry my dslr for all my vacarion trips. If that is not allowed I am not planning to travel via that airline and / or airport. No way would I out that in the luggage hold.
I can see that prices for tickets that avoid those airports suddenly becoming quite expensive.
That might be true. The middle eastern airlines were killing business for American competitors in US. Offcourse we all know how great Delta, United and American are. When it comes to flying out side of US, there are better options, newer planes, more comfort and service.
I don't think there's any solid evidence that this move was done to hurt the Middle Eastern airlines. The ban would also affect any US carriers that flew non-stops from those airports back to the US as well. And there are still plenty of non-US carriers that aren't affected by the ban, because they also don't fly those affected routes.
I think it's just an ill-thought-out piece of security theater, proposed in the face of a genuine threat that it's actually going to be quite difficult to deal with effectively given how important electronic devices are today (especially for business travelers who may be carrying sensitive information).
Although I'm not a fan of Trump, I have to say that this particular policy is not as nonsensical as it sounds.
Why are Middle Eastern airports targeted for the ban? Simple, because they have the combo of the worst security threats with the most incompetent security checks. There is also a high insider threat in these airports.
European airports are OK - they have good security checks which deals with the high risk level. These airports also have insiders but their security checks are rigorous.
Asian airports are OK - their security checks may be incompetent but their risk levels are low. Not a lot of Islamists flying out of Hanoi or Bangkok. No insider threats here.
As for why the laptops are OK in the hold - this is because the passenger may need to perform additional assembly and wiring connections, etc. before the device can be activated. Putting it out of reach makes the device ineffective, and that's the point.
Although I'm not a fan of Trump, I have to say that this particular policy is not as nonsensical as it sounds.
Why are Middle Eastern airports targeted for the ban? Simple, because they have the combo of the worst security threats with the most incompetent security checks. There is also a high insider threat in these airports.
European airports are OK - they have good security checks which deals with the high risk level. These airports also have insiders but their security checks are rigorous.
Asian airports are OK - their security checks may be incompetent but their risk levels are low. Not a lot of Islamists flying out of Hanoi or Bangkok. No insider threats here.
As for why the laptops are OK in the hold - this is because the passenger may need to perform additional assembly and wiring connections, etc. before the device can be activated. Putting it out of reach makes the device ineffective, and that's the point.
Again: how does this prevent someone from flying from one of the affected airports to a place where the ban is not in place then connecting from there to the US?
Fly from Doha to US - laptop must go in cargo hold
Fly from Doha to Frankfurt, then from Frankfurt to the US - laptop is in the passenger section for the entire trip. And the security screening performed in Frankfurt on passengers in transit won't be especially rigorous, certainly not enough to insure a bomb disguised as a spare laptop battery will be detected.
It's security theater, nothing more. The only way to make it effective would be for ALL flights returning to the US, from any airport, to be subject to the "no electronics in the cabin" rule. And I don't see that happening, because it would cause chaos. Too many people depend on traveling with their electronic devices today to make such a ban feasible.
Again: how does this prevent someone from flying from one of the affected airports to a place where the ban is not in place then connecting from there to the US?
Because past experience shows that most attacks do not follow such a pattern. If they can get a bomb on a plane in Doha they will likely just blow it up first chance they get.
Because every segment that the plane has to fly increases the odds that an attack plot will be discovered or go wrong.
Because we trust the security screening in Frankfurt more than the security screening in Doha.
Because TSA could tomorrow declare that a plane coming from Frankfurt that just came from Doha cannot have laptops in the cabin.
You seem to be of the idea that if security isn't 100% effective, that if there is any way at all around a security measure, then it is worthless.
Again: how does this prevent someone from flying from one of the affected airports to a place where the ban is not in place then connecting from there to the US?
Fly from Doha to US - laptop must go in cargo hold
Fly from Doha to Frankfurt, then from Frankfurt to the US - laptop is in the passenger section for the entire trip. And the security screening performed in Frankfurt on passengers in transit won't be especially rigorous, certainly not enough to insure a bomb disguised as a spare laptop battery will be detected.
It would be as rigorous as for a passenger boarding in Frankfurt. Which is to say, pretty rigorous. Of course, it can be reasonably argued that not every laptop is scanned at Frankfurt airport and therefore it is not foolproof, but no security check is foolproof. It's all about weighing the risks.
Sterile transit, or even "wink and nudge" security transit, was removed several years ago from EU airports. Now any non-EU passengers transiting an EU airport must go through the same level of security checks as someone beginning their journey at that EU airport.
It would be as rigorous as for a passenger boarding in Frankfurt. Which is to say, pretty rigorous. Of course, it can be reasonably argued that not every laptop is scanned at Frankfurt airport and therefore it is not foolproof, but no security check is foolproof. It's all about weighing the risks.
Sterile transit, or even "wink and nudge" security transit, was removed several years ago from EU airports. Now any non-EU passengers transiting an EU airport must go through the same level of security checks as someone beginning their journey at that EU airport.
Of course, the connecting flight doesn't have to go through the EU at all. There are connections from Middle Eastern airports to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where nonstop flights to the US are available. Or the would-be terrorist can fly to Asia and connect through there.
Still think this electronics ban actually fixes anything?
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