By The ongoing battle with Middle Eastern countries continues as the Department of Homeland Security calls to implement strict restrictions of what carry-on items will be allowed In the cabin for flights traveling from the banned countries to the U.S. But they’re not alone. U.K. flights have to took the initiative to enforce the same laws.
The new restrictions prevent travelers from accessing electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, e-readers, cameras, portable DVD players, and handheld gaming devices. Why? The Department of Homeland Security as well as the Transportation Security Administration neglected to provide reasonable rationale to justify instilling such a ludicrous ban.
According to an article titled, “US bans Tablets and Laptops on Flights From Eight Muslim-Majority Countries,” the author Nick Statt, stated that “evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation, to include smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items.” When asked, the U.S. government also responded saying that the threats were unspecified, while the prime minister’s spokesman refused to address the issue.
According to the BBC News article “UK Flight Ban on Electronic Devices Announced,” there is also the present fear of “…bombs could be hidden in a series of devices.” But don’t worry, these devices can still travel, but they must be checked in.
If you’re wondering which carriers to start avoiding, the list includes British Airways, EasyJet, Jet.com, Monarch, Thomas Cook, Thomson, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airways, Atlas-Global Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Egyptair, Royal Jordanian, Tunis Air, and Saudia Airlines. The affected airports include:
- Mohammed V International, Casablanca, Morocco
- Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey
- Cairo International Airport, Egypt
- Queen Alia International, Amman, Jordan
- King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- King Khalid International, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Kuwait International Airport
- Hamad International, Doha, Qatar
- Abu Dhabi International, United Arab Emirates
- Dubai International, United Arab Emirates