Tablet and laptop ban

That would end my travels to Europe. I always have a laptop and DSLR with me (+ lenses). I would not check them for two reasons.
1. Damage. You have seen videos of how luggage is handled.
2. Theft. This will be the greatest "pay raise" ever for luggage thieves.

LOL. Some of the airlines are in the process of removing seatback entertainment because people can use their own devices instead. We'll see where this goes, eh?

guess one will need to buy a huge phone. A Samsung Galaxy 8+ has a 6.2 inch screen

I guess I'll have to use Air Canada more.

I don't understand checking laptops. Wouldn't a remote control, you know, activate a checked laptop too?

And would flying in and out of Canada avoid this possible ban ?

how does that help Roberto if ALL return flights from Europe have that travel ban?

Still more false sense of security...but oh so annoying to us.

Is there a link to the announcement?

I saw it here, Michael:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-electronics-ban-flights-europe-united-kingdom-possibly-expanding/

Thanks, Kathy. I was curious as I didn't see anything on the TSA site.

Probably because it's just a "maybe" at this point. :O)

Jim.

If Canada does not impose the same silly laptop ban, I can fly with my laptop as carry on from Europe to Canada (YVR for example) as usual.

Then, since the silly ban applies only (apparently) on flights originating from Europe to the US, you won't be affected by the ban in the last segment between Canada and the US, because that intra-North America flight would not be subject to the ban. If it does, it would be a short flight or one could drive across the border and take a domestic flight.

A similar strategy could be used by flying from Europe to the US via Mexico.

Canada or Mexico could be our safe harbor where we can find some sanity and apply as refugees from an oppressing regime.

Then both our neighbors might decide to build a wall to keep us Americans out. In which case the President would have been right when he said that Mexico would pay for the wall.

Yes, thank you Roberto, very ingenious, the day may indeed come when Mexico and Canada may be the only sane ways in and out of the US! If they'll have us, that is.

So this proposal is only for incoming flights to the US from Europe?

Fortunately, our September trip has our return trip from Heathrow to Vancouver BC on British Airways---it worked out better than flying home to Seattle. I may be really glad I did that.

Some airlines that are dealing with this now allow people to keep their laptops and tablets with them until time to board. They are then collected and held in a secure area on the plane, so people do not have to put them in their checked bags, vulnerable to theft.

How do you draw the line between a large smartphone and a small tablet? Curious to see where this goes.

The current ban has a firm line drawn. Some large Smartphones do not comply.

Size matters.

It all depends on the size of the device and its battery. No one is using a remote control to access a bomb in a hold of a plane, except in the next Bruce Willis film. WAKE UP PEOPLE....terrorism is real, and planes are the jewel in the crown targets.

Wake up, people. The same politicians that devise new ways of inconvenience your travel - they are fighting terrorism - are in business with head of states financing terrorism groups.

"If Canada does not impose the same silly laptop ban, I can fly with my laptop as carry on from Europe to Canada (YVR for example) as usual."

I don't believe the government here is planning to implement the same rules here, but they are looking at it.....

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-tablet-airplane-ban-1.4043282

That link is a few months old, but I've heard they are monitoring the situation on a regular basis.

"Then both our neighbors might decide to build a wall to keep us Americans out."

A Wall is not too likely. If that happened, how would we ship our softwood lumber and dairy products to the U.S.

We're having a nail-biter of a provincial election here tonight, so perhaps the new government will consider resurrecting Cascadia? That would certainly improve cross-border access.

Fortunately we are sailing back. Mexico may be our future safe harbor

What are the current size restrictions? All I could find on the TSA website was something about how international travelers will know the size of a smartphone and call the airline if questions.

For my husband and myself, foreign travel and photography are inextricably linked. To travel without our camera gear is unthinkable. We are serious travel photographers. This news is very disconcerting. We booked our flights to Africa this summer on US carriers due to the travel ban on electronics on airlines from certain Muslim countries. Now we might still be affected. How on earth does one safeguard their cameras and electronic devices from damage and sticky fingers? The airlines will have to come up with a solution to address these concerns.

Good Morning America this morning reported that this very travel ban of carryon laptops (etc.) on flights from Europe is expected to be announced soon!

This doesn't impact me as I just have a phone and a book usually but this is insane. It's so embarrassing. I'm all for security but tell me how an electronic device can be any more or less impactful in checked luggage than in the cabin? You could make a bomb out of just about anything. Might as well ban airplanes. The Trumpler admin is a joke.

Why are people talking about cameras? I thought this just concerned laptops and tablets.

Lola, cameras are included on the banned devices list:
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2017/03/21/fact-sheet-aviation-security-enhancements-select-last-point-departure-airports

I'm watching this closely and hoping it doesn't go into effect too soon. I'm in Europe now with my iPad. I'm carry on only, but I guess I'll be checking my bag if it goes into effect before I go home next week. I wasn't reading any news so I'm glad someone posted this here so I know to be aware and see what happens. If I knew about this ahead, I would have just left my iPad at home.

Was just thinking back....

We were on vacation during 9/11, and on of the first flights out of Phoenix when commercial airlines were flying again. Just turning in the rental car was a process: they went over each one, inside and out and with underside mirrors, some distance from the terminal. Lines inside were impossibly long, and we were allowed to take very little into the cabin with us: I believe I was allowed my book and my wallet but no carryons, electronic devices, etc. That was a quietest flight we've ever taken, and not a single person complained about being parted from nearly all of their belongings, or that I witnessed, anyway.

The current and potentially expanded ban of devices does seem extreme but these 16 years later, I still remember what an uneasy time that was.

Com'on ...with all the high tech out there, is it not possible to scan,sniff, x-ray or visualize every component or chemical that can be made into a bomb?

Jim: This ban will probably apply only to foreign carriers, and US based carriers will likely be exempted.

It's part of the America First campaign and it has nothing to do with security.

The ban on flights originating from ME airports, including DXB (one of the safest in the world), was all to decrease competition from Emirates and all other airlines like Turkish. Emirates has already announced that will cut flights to the US by over 20%.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2017/05/tablet-free-transatlantic

Folks,

It's not the computer or tablet that is the problem. It's the lithium ion battery... Remember the Samsung Galaxy Note 7? Unfortunately, all the testing and investigative research into the Note 7 revealed that these batteries can be compromised on demand. While they don't necessarily explode, they can start an uncontrollable fire that can easily bring an aircraft down.

The real winners here may turn out to UPS, FedEx, and DHL...

my cell phone has a lithium ion battery

If this happens (which would be insane) I agree with Roberto that American carriers will be exempt and will be a scam job to reduce competition.

The issue for me as a flyer is not being removed from my electronics during the flight but the high level of damage possible, as fragile electronic items like cameras and laptops are not meant to be tossed around in checked luggage.
As a photographer that travels with over $5K worth of gear I have no idea what I would do.
Guess my only option would be to use the original shipping boxes the stuff came in, repackage them up to put them inside the checked bags which will take up tons of room and be a royal PITA.

or use a cruise instead of a flight

https://www.google.com/amp/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1862QS

It appears that the proposed ban would involve ALL flights from Europe to US, including possibly from Britain.

There's concern that ALL those batteries in cargo may explode or start a fire in cargo.

News today is it is to be all carriers so not an American First agenda item. Just another knee jerk reaction

We need high speed trains across the Atlantic.

Till then, I'll fly to Europe through Canada. Hopefully the Trudeau Administration is still sane.

Hasn't happened yet. Maybe cool heads (and business travelers screaming bloody murder) will prevail.

I believe I read that tablets were allowed but not laptops.

Here's the latest intelligence scoop on the laptop concern:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/15/politics/trump-russia-classified-information/index.html

Laptop threat

In April, CNN first reported that US intelligence and law enforcement
agencies believed that ISIS and other terrorist organizations had
developed new ways to place explosives in laptops and other electronic
devices to evade airport security screening methods. US intelligence
suggested that terrorists had obtained sophisticated airport security
equipment that allowed them to test how to effectively conceal
explosives in electronic devices, CNN reported at the time.

That intelligence led the Trump administration to ban travelers flying
out of 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and Africa
from carrying electronic devices larger than cell phones aboard
planes. The United Kingdom, which possessed the same intelligence,
placed a similar prohibition on passengers flying from six countries,
including two that were not on the US list.

Officials told CNN that the ban came about following the collection of
intercepted material and "human intelligence." The Department of
Homeland Security is reportedly considering expanding the electronics
ban to flights from Europe to the United States.

So this is just another silly new US thing and does not have an effect on flights within Europe, no?

We'll have to see how this plays out.

My wife and I discussed its effect on a trip to London that we'll be taking in the Fall. It is a business trip for her and she would normally take her laptop to have access to documents, etc. I was planning to take my normal photography kit which consists of a full frame DSLR and several professional grade lenses, including a large white zoom lens.

My wife, who tends to see obstacles as opportunities, thinks the ban might actually be liberating. Instead of schlepping a bunch of electronics with us, we may slim down to iPhones and maybe my small P&S that could be packed in checked luggage. I could carry all my SD cards in my carry on and if the P&S disappears, I'll use it as an excuse to upgrade an aging camera. Heck, I could always take my venerable Leica M3 film camera, which would be an adventure in and of itself!

We think it would be silly to think of changing our plans to visit Europe just because we can't bring our electronic toys. In addition to going to London, we also are planning a trip to southern France and Germany. I'll buy postcards to remember the trip if I have to, but I won't deny myself of the experience.

Dougmac, i am not sure i would risk carrying a camera as valuable as a Leica M3. I know that it is a manual mechanical camera without any electronics (unless you attach the optional meter), but you may not be able to convince a security person who probably haven't seen a film camera in a decade, and they may force you to check it in. And i have no idea what the radiation from these new powerful scanning machines will have on film. You could end up nuking all your photos.

The inconvenience of this electronics ban cannot be overstated. I read a recent article that the economic loss for business people not being able to do work on a plane may total hundreds of millions of dollars in a year.

Right now, they say that you cannot bring in a device bigger that a smartphone. But what is the the size of a permitted smartphone? Samsung has a product called a Note which is often catergorized as a phablet because it is almost as big as a tablet. With the proper setup a full-sized 4g tablet is actually a phone. I expect that they will establish rules about a maximum dimensions for a permitted smartphone. If I were Apple, i would be nervous. Apple is about to launch their biggest and most expensive iphone ever, with a 5.8" screen. What if they come up with a rule that a smartphone more than 5.5" cannot be brought on the plane?

First, they banned electronics from flights coming from certain Islamic countries. Now, they are going to ban electronics from all European countries. Is Canada next? The Air India bombing originated from Vancouver. And Mexico will not be treated better than Canada. Eventually, I can see this ban applying to domestic flights in US. Why not? The 9/11 flights all originated on US soil. If you are going to build a sophisticated electronic bomb and put it on a plane, would it be easier to do from the deserts of Syria or the mountains in Afghanistan? Or would it it be easier to do from LA or New York, where a terrorist can go to any Best Buy, Radio Shack or order it from Amazon?

Security is always just reacting to terrorists threats. One guy tries to sneak a shoe bomb, and ever since then people are walking around the airport in stinky stocking feet. There are so many other potential threats limited only by our imagination. Coming back from Vegas, i carried on a giant bouncy ball which my kid won in an arcade machine. The damn thing was 2 feet in diameter. I could not believe airport security allowed me to bring it on board. It could have been filled with explosive or noxious gas. Have you ever seen the movie where the bad guy pulled the handle out a carryon bag and used it as a weapon to stab somebody? If we want to eliminate every threat, we would have to ban all carry-ons, and force all passengers to wear tank-tops, shorts and paper booties.

Sorry, I am just ranting. There are no easy solutions to these threats. I have no choice but to comply, and I will. However, I don't have to like any of it.

DougMac, some years ago we were in Italy, and I took my Pentax film camera. I also took a larger lens - I don't remember which one, but it had a macro feature that I liked. (This was before digital cameras were common.) As it happened, we were returning home to the States from Naples, with a 3 day stopover in London. The date? The day after the London tube bombings.

Well. As you might expect, the Naples airport was a zoo. There was some problem with our tickets to London, but a friendly British Air person pulled a few strings to okay our tickets. When we got to security, I was allowed to bring my camera in my carry-on bag, but not my oversized lens. And we were not checking bags! As it happened, my carry-on was a zipped tote bag. Security let me leave the area, head back downstairs, and cut into the front of the line to check my tote bag.

I thought I was lucky all the way around. I could have lost my favorite lens, or missed the flight because of having to stand in line to check the bag.

Thanks guys. I was kidding about the Leica. I hunted for 7 years for it, I wanted a body in a certain serial number range, in good condition and at the right price. I had it out just last night. If I was to take a film camera, it would be one of my old Canon bodies.

I have photographed two Presidents while I was a professional photographer. When I photographed Ronald Reagan, I used a medium format camera the could be pretty much disassembled. The Secret Service could look through the lenses, the body, the pentaprism finder and the film backs. They were appreciative that I made their life easier.

I have been thinking our planned trips to Europe would be justification to getting that digital Leica body (that will work with my 60 year old Leica film lenses) that I've been dreaming about. It looks like those dreams are dashed. Oh well, that saves me $6,800!

Just saw this story on BBC: US and EU reject extending the laptop ban: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39956968

I know we are all interested....

Good.

I'm glad there is still some sense left in some of the governing bodies of the world.

Good Morning America this morning reported Homeland Security John Kelly saying that we're close to a carryon laptop ban on ALL International flights TO and FROM the US.

Is the term "laptop" used to refer to all small electronics, including cameras... or was it specifically Laptops to which he referred?

Yesterday's news (28 May 2017) about the evolving on/off/on/of saga"
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2017/05/28/a-laptop-ban-could-extend-to-all-international-flights-us-homeland-security-chief-says.html

A laptop ban could extend to all international flights, US Homeland Security chief says

• The Trump administration is expected to expand a ban on laptops to include some parts of Europe

• Such an expansion could impact U.S. carriers like United, Delta and American

The United States might ban laptops from aircraft cabins on all
flights into and out of the country as part of a ramped-up effort to
protect against potential security threats, U.S. Homeland Security
Secretary John Kelly said on Sunday.

In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Kelly said the United States
planned to "raise the bar" on airline security, including tightening
screening of carry-on items.

I haven't followed this, does anyone know the latest news?
Thanks!

Its not going to happen at this point. They are supposedly instituting stricter controls. This is copies from a post online...
"Last month, U.S. officials announced new security requirements for all airlines rather than an expansion of the laptop ban and have been dropping the restrictions from airlines as they boosted security."

They instituted an additional search at the gate before boarding, but only for selected random passengers.

Thanks Linda, and Roberto!

This is not news but not only did they not pass the proposed laptop and other electronic ban for carry-ons, they lifted it for the airports that had it previously. So could be great news if flying on a Turkish Air flight for example from Italy to US that stops in Istanbul.

They came out with more strict controls and standards that have to be met as the solution for now.

As I mentioned, they have additional searches for selected passengers instituted at the gate before boarding.

I was one of the lucky ones at Heathrow yesterday. They searched every bag/pouch etc. and I had to show my IPad (which was on) and phones.

I also had a half full bottle of water that I had purchased before boarding. They made me drink a sip of it (I guess to make sure it wasn't poisoned).

So if you plan to fill your bottle with toilet water (I don't know, maybe to have a bidet when you go to the restroom), be aware that you may be forced to drink it.