U.S. bans laptops and iPads on airlines from multiple countries
UPDATED: March 21, 2017, 10:45 a.m. GMT to reflect DHS statement.
U.S. authorities have told airlines from eight countries to forbid passengers from carrying laptops or electronic devices on board their aircraft on flights into the U.S.
The instructions, which cover laptops, iPads, cameras and other electronics bigger than smartphones, were provided to airlines from the TSA on Sunday.
They were officially announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the TSA and the State Department on Tuesday, when the policy was enforced.
As confirmed in a phone call on Monday with senior Department of Homeland Security and State Department officials, the measure will affect nine airlines, including Saudi Arabia's Saudia Airlines and Royal Jordanian Airlines, operating from 10 airports.
Other airlines affected are Egypt Air, Turkish Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways.
These airlines have 96 hours from Tuesday morning to comply with the new rules for any flights heading directly to the U.S. Officials claim this will affect about 50 flights a day and will not affect American carriers due to those airlines not flying directly to the U.S. from the airports on the list.
Administration officials cited a 2015 incident in Egypt with a soda can that killed all 224 people on board and the attempted downing of Daallo Airlines Flight 159 in Somalia in February 2016 as part of the ongoing threat against airports, airplanes and air travel.
The news first broke via a tweet, since deleted, from Royal Jordanian Airlines on Monday. "Following instructions from concerned U.S. departments, carrying any electronic or electrical device on board the flight cabins is strictly prohibited," the airline's statement said.
Cellphones and medical devices are OK, the statement said, but everything else has to go into your checked luggage -- which mostly defeats the purpose of all these devices to entertain you during a long international flight.
We've reached out to Royal Jordanian and other Middle Eastern-based airlines for further details.
A government official told Reuters on Monday that the new ban is in response to an unspecified terrorism threat.
People initially responded to the Royal Jordanian post with frustration and confusion. Many commented that the airline would lose customers over this policy. One person asked if they could still wear their watch on board.
CORRECTION: Tuesday, Mar. 21, 11:12 a.m. This story originally stated flights in and out of the U.S. are affected by the device ban. Only flights into the U.S. are affected.
UPDATE Mar. 21 5:18 p.m. PT:
CNN reported Tuesday afternoon that recent intelligence suggested an al Qaeda affiliate was working on techniques for hiding explosives in batteries and battery compartments of electronic devices, prompting the ban. The report cited an unnamed U.S. official.
British and U.S. officials meanwhile told the Associated Press that the new decision was based on longstanding concerns rather than a specific threat.
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
