londonbus

My understanding is that the Department for Transport reckons that security at relevant airports is not good enough - and requires additional security screens for UK bound flights in order to allow laptops on board.

At AMM - RJ is willing to pay for these and so gets a waiver. BA isn't and doesn't.

Frankly its BA cutting costs again and delivering an inferior product.

LTN Phobia

Exactly what are other airlines doing to meet this requirement in that case, that BA isn't doing?

londonbus

At AMM:

* Board at depature -60 - you're held in a secure pen.
* Full detailed hand search on hand luggage - laptop swabbed and checked for explosives.

This will cost money - and Mr Cruz is allergic to spending it. You've seen it in aircraft cleanliness and food - now see it in terms of security. As observed on this thread TK spend it at IST and RJ at AMM.

Middle East security tends to be weaker than you'd find in the EU. Quite normal to see the security screener on their phone rather than watching the monitor properly. Quite common at Riyadh.
This weekend I flew RUH-MCT-BOM and it was noticeable the security staff at MCT were doing their job properly which is not normal in the ME.

The DfT has assessed the security measures at other ME locations e.g. DXB/AUH/MCT as being ok and therefore they don't have restrictions on them.

Prospero

This, by and large, replicates the screening process undertaken at IST for BA flights. When i travelled through IST earlier this month, BA employed 4 dedicated staff members who undertook the role of screening/swabbing hand luggage at the gate pen.

BA6501

I believe the expensive part is the swabbing/screening of laptops, not of empty backpacks.

Worcester

BA chap at IST told me that TK agreed to do secondary screening on 40% of passengers but BA would only go to 25%. Seems odd though as BA check 100% of passengers for electronics so there must be more to it than that.

Then of course is the fact that no other country applies these rules.