UK and US Travel Ban and Electronics Ban. I call Shenanigans
There’s a new US Travel Ban going into place, and it’s not either one of Trump’s failed travel bans. This one is potentially even more crippling. Sometime in the next few days, you will not be able to bring any large electronics into the cabin of the aircraft if you’re coming on a direct flight from one of a dozen or so named countries. And I’m calling bullshit.
From cnn.com, US Electronics Ban
This US ban, under the fake guise of national security concerns, affects only foreign carriers, and only coming from certain foreign airlines. Those airlines are:
Egypt Air, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, Saudia and Turkish Airlines
Emirates A380 ready to board!
Notice anything? Notice the lack of Delta, American, United, etc? Notice the lack of British, Air France, KLM, etc?
Need I remind you that the failed “shoe bomber” attempt was on an American Airlines flight?
American Airlines over SXM from qsl.net
Need I remind you that the failed “underwear bomber” was on a Northwest Airlines flight?
Yup, those Middle Eastern Carriers US carriers aren’t on the list, even though they have been targeted in the past for terrorism and terrorist threats. Explain that one to me? Oh wait, you can’t. Some might say it’s because there are no direct flights to those airports from the US carriers, and while that is true, they certainly take connections from their airline partners.
The UK ban targets both British and International Carriers. Those are:
British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2.com, Monarch, Thomas Cook, Thomson, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airways, Atlas-Global Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Egyptair, Royal Jordanian, Tunis Air and Saudia.
Wow, British Airways flights aren’t going to be allowed to have laptops and CAMERAS in your carry-on luggage? That isn’t something that should be taken lightly. On our flights, we seldom check bags because of the ridiculous amount of time it wastes, and the concerns over theft and damage to our things.
There’s no secret that there is a lot of hate between the Big 3 Middle East carriers and the big US Carriers and their lobbying groups. It wouldn’t surprise me that if there were some lobbying groups that were behind this ban under the guise of a security threat, especially considering the legal troubles that the Trump Travel Ban has been having in the courts. If you truly wanted to make this about national security, the ban would apply to all airlines coming from these countries, not just these carriers from large Muslim population countries.
What’s supposed to happen when you’re connecting on one of these carriers? Lets say you’re flying (like we did) from Johannesburg, South Africa to Doha, Qatar, and then on to Dallas, Texas? Am I supposed to collect my luggage in Doha, re-clear security, and then get my laptop in my luggage? Or do I not get to use any of my equipment on the Africa flight because my final destination is the USA?
Emirates 777 business class seat
What about security of the aircraft itself? The FAA had a lithium ion battery ban in the holds of aircraft in place for quite sometime, and now that seems to be superseded by this ban.
How about theft of my belongings? For years airlines have said “don’t put any valuable electronics in your luggage because they could be stolen.” Now I’ve got to trust the baggage handlers to now jack my luggage and throw it everywhere, damaging potentially sensitive electronics? Come on now, be serious.
This is obviously a developing story with more details to come, but the airlines have until Friday to comply.
March 21, 2017
No US carrier flies to these locations non-stop….
March 21, 2017
Which is clearly stated in the post.
March 21, 2017
I am really disappointed by the British “me too” response – even if it is slightly more logical. I suspect that Whitehall is trying to protect the Special Relationship – which may be all that England has left once they are out of the EU and Scotland and Northern Ireland leave the UK. The US should have been left to flop around on it’s own.
March 21, 2017
Well. Both governments are being run by protectionist governments. And I use that word loosely.
March 21, 2017
It’s a little early to pass judgement on this action. If there is a threat and we didn’t do anything you would be more upset I’m sure. Other countries will likely follow this like Canada http://globalnews.ca/news/3324422/electronics-travel-ban-canada-cellphone-laptop-tablet/
March 21, 2017
I don’t think it’s early at all. If there’s going to be a bomb in the laptop it doesn’t make a difference whether it’s above the plane or below the plane. It’s still an explosive device in the laptop. It’s a completely shortsighted ban with absolutely no justification as to why only certain airlines are only certain countries. If you truly have a threat and you thought it was real you wouldn’t have such a blanketed ban covering so many different places. Something like this should definitely have more information available to the general public so they can make decisions about what to do with their flights and or with their electronic devices and make adjustments accordingly. This is all very cloak and dagger and it scares me a bit.
March 21, 2017
It scares us all. That’s why it’s call “terrorism”. Don’t let them win. I’m traveling to the middle east next week and this won’t stop my plans.
I don’t think it’s too early for opinion but final judgement on this will be decided with time in my opinion.
March 21, 2017
Allowing this meaningless ban is letting them win. We came back from the middle east 2 weeks ago and are going to north Africa next week, we couldn’t feel safer about it. The sole intention of this ban is to drive business away from Gulf carriers and into US carriers that are exempt from this ban. Just a quick reminder: after the shoe bomber, we implemented security measures to discourage that from ever happening again, but we weren’t stupid enough to ban shoes from being worn into the cabin, forcing people to check them in instead.
March 21, 2017
Jon,
I agree and call “Bull!”
You think there is any coincidence that the whining UA/AA/DL CEOs were at the Whitehouse recently complaining about the “unfair” competition from the ME3? Especially in light of the Brits not enacting similar action against the ME3.
IMHO, this is a “wag the dog” cover for our protectionist gov’t. to make life difficult for the ME3 and better for American air carriers.
March 21, 2017
Couldn’t have said it better myself… or maybe I just did 🙂
March 22, 2017
Your post of today (Wednesday) was “spot on”. Thanks for calling these guys out!
March 21, 2017
YOU, TOO, ARE AN IDIOT.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/yemen-raid-led-to-laptop-ban/ar-BByyP8Q?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=U305DHP
March 21, 2017
Aww, thanks for calling me an idiot. We at NoMasCoach welcome all kinds of trolls, including those that dare come out from under the bridges. You should know, Mr Baxendale, that if you read the article, it does say that these must be manually set off, which I’m assuming, would be easy to spot on an xray or other detection device, including those for explosives. Why not just swab and scan every laptop individually instead of impacting millions upon tens of millions of innocent passengers. The article also posts that “Airport employees had conspired with the bomber to get the laptop through security.” Not a whole lot to do about this one, other than make it even harder to go through security. If we allow this to stand, what’s next?
March 21, 2017
Shenanigans indeed. Huge odiferous steaming piles of shenanigans. I’m torn between wondering whether they were so obvious out of ineptitude, indifference, or just wanting to send a message after the Muslim bans keep getting shot down by that whole law thing.
March 22, 2017
Muslims should simply be quarantined to fly their own aircraft minimising the likelihood of killing their own. It’s time the political correctness was put to bed. And for every attack linked to Islam 5000 muslims should be kicked out of the west with no appeal and a mosque closed. Who needs this degenerate cult.
March 23, 2017
I am having a hard time not barfing in my mouth with how disgusting you are as a person. I can’t say, however, that I am surprised at your bigotry considering that most people in Darlington voted for Britain to leave the EU for mostly this same reason, but I am a bit puzzled as to why a sad excuse of a human being like you would be reading a travel blog. Feel free to never come back.