The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed to Consumerist that it will not be expanding a ban on laptops in the cabins of U.S.-bound aircraft to cover flights coming from Europe. At the same time, DHS cautions that this restriction still remains a possibility in the future.
A spokesman for the DHS told Consumerist that Secretary John Kelly spoke on the phone with European Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Violeta Bulc, the EU’s Transport Commissioner, on Tuesday to discuss aviation security.
While on the call, the three “agreed on the need to raise the bar for aviation security globally, including through a range of potential seen and unseen enhancements,” and committed to working together to “secure global aviation,” while keeping the lines of communication and cooperation clear.
“Finally, while a much-discussed expansion of the ban on large electronic devices in the cabin on flights to the United States was not announced today, the Secretary made it clear that an expansion is still on the table,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Secretary Kelly said he would do whatever it takes to secure passenger flights heading to the U.S. — “including prohibiting large electronic devices from the passenger cabin – if the intelligence and threat level warrant it.”
“Over the last few months DHS has continuously reached out to global aviation partners regarding serious and evolving threats to aviation, and the Department will continue to do so,” the spokesperson told Consumerist.
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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