Originally Posted by
Deltus
So why is a keyboard a laptop periphery but headphones not? What about a mouse? Or a DVD drive? Or a docking station?
The implementation of this ban has been incompetent from the outset.
Well you and I may be aware of what all these peripheries can and can't do, but spare a thought for those who have to implement this. If each passenger has a dozen gizmos, there is no way that 2,000 or even 3,000 items can be analysed in 30 minutes before departure. Realistically a mouse and a headphone will probably be OK, but not everyone is a computer geek, and the difference between an external DVD drive and a battery backup unit may not be that obvious. If the search agent is in doubt then quite understandably it probably won't be flying with you.
No one is doing this for the fun of it, the reason for this specific clampdown have now been well publicised, at least in the serious media in the USA.
I would agree the TK pragmatic approach seems a good way forward. I suspect if the USA is also caught up with this restriction I hope BA will follow suit.