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U.S. NEWS Saturday 13 May 2017
US prepares to ban laptops on flights from Europe

batteries, which have been through a more sophisticat- condition of anonymity to
known to catch fire. Ameri- ed screening process than discuss the plan.
can officials were invited to carry-on bags. Jenny Burke, a Homeland
Brussels next week to dis- Jeffrey Price, an aviation- Security spokeswoman,
cuss the proposed ban, the security expert at Metro- said no final decision has
EU said. politan State University of been made on expanding
European Commission Denver, said the original the restriction.
spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa ban focused on certain But Homeland Security of-
Itkonen said the EU had no countries because their ficials met Thursday with
new information about a equipment to screen carry- high-ranking executives of
specific security concern. on bags is not as effective the three leading U.S. air-
U.S. officials have said the as machines in the U.S. lines — American, Delta
decision in March to bar A French official who was and United — and the in-
laptops and tablets from briefed about Friday’s dustry’s leading U.S. trade
the cabins of some interna- meeting said the Ameri-
tional flights wasn’t based cans announced they group, Airlines for America,
Passengers en route to London check in at Biarritz airport, to discuss expanding the
southwestern France. The U.S. is expected to broaden its ban on on any specific threat but wanted to extend the laptop policy to flights arriv-
in-flight laptops and tablets to include planes from the European on longstanding concerns ban, and the Europeans
Union, a move that would create logistical chaos on the world’s about extremists targeting planned to formulate a ing from Europe.
busiest corridor of air travel. Alarmed at the proposal, which jetliners. response in coming days. Two airline officials who
airline officials say is merely a matter of timing, European Experts say a bomb in the The official said the primary were briefed on the discus-
governments held urgent talks Friday, May 12, 2017, with the sions said Homeland Securi-
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. cabin would be easier to questions revolved around ty gave no timetable for an
(AP Photo/Bob Edme) make and require less ex- when and how — and not
plosive force than one whether — the ban would announcement, but they
By LORNE COOK Atlantic routes that carry as in the cargo hold. Bag- be imposed. were resigned to its inevita-
JOHN LEICESTER many as 65 million people gage in cargo usually goes The official spoke only on bility. q
Associated Press a year on over 400 daily
BRUSSELS (AP) — The U.S. flights, many of them busi-
is expected to broaden ness travelers who rely on
its ban on in-flight laptops their electronics to work
and tablets to include during the flight.
planes from the European The ban would dwarf in size
Union, a move that would the current one, which was
create logistical chaos on put in place in March and
the world’s busiest corridor affects about 50 flights per
of air travel. day from 10 cities, mostly in
Alarmed at the proposal, the Middle East.
which airline officials say is Chief among the con-
merely a matter of timing, cerns are whether any
European governments new threat prompted the
held urgent talks on Friday proposal and the relative
with the U.S. Department of safety of keeping in the
Homeland Security. cargo area a large number
The ban would affect trans- of electronics with lithium