timfountain

If there is a real and credible threat they 'they' know where it is coming from and can mitigate that risk. The reality is 'they' don't, so a blanket is applied.

bpratt

One approach to screening PEDs would be to use image recognition software combined with a database of what an X-ray image of each PED should look like and how much they should weigh.

It would be a bit cumbersome to set up, but once ready it would be straightforward to weigh each PED, X-ray it, and check the image and weight against the database. Turning a laptop into a bomb while still having the "guts" look the same on x-ray AND without changing the weight would be a much more difficult problem than ripping out a bunch of the internals to turn it into a bomb. Still not impossible, but much harder.

Years ago, pre 9-11, I remember flying out of Munich once and they had me turn on my IBM Thinkpad (701 I think it was), and then weighed it and compared the weight to a book of "official" weights of different notebook PCs.

There would still be corner cases that would fail, for instance if you've modified your computer, replaced components, etc, but at least most mainstream PEDs in unmodified form would be easily checked and OK'd.

Bob

chx1975

Well, at least thinkpads were , at one point, manufactured with a bay that could take nothing, an ODD or a battery. Beyond that, yeah, this is a great idea.

bpratt

i don't think the 701 supported swappable bays. I know some of my later thinkpads did, the T20, 40, and 60 series ones, but I don't think they had that option yet in the mid-90's.

and then again I bet only a small percent of people take advantage of the option.

and these days I use a MacBook which is very uncustomizable.

Bob

Hachima

This might be ok for laptops but for tablets with all the custom screen protectors and protective shells that are being used it would make it difficult to filter them by weight.

guflyer

Perhaps they could create specialty laptops and/or tablets that could easily be screened? This would be like the TSA locks or the specialty laptop cases that did not require non-precheck fliers to remove their computer.

I would prefer the current setup of not having any electronic restrictions to this, but I would rather have this than have everything required to be checked.

gooselee

Good luck getting companies with 10s of thousands of employees with company-issued laptops to convert all that equipment. And that doesn't even address all the other PEDs like professional cameras and specialty equipment, etc., which are often even more expensive than your general business laptops.

WalterSFO

there is no way that I'm checking my almost-new $3990 2016 Macbook Pro...


guess it will be staying home

chx1975

In the past, I have justified my transatlantic business class tickets by working through the flight -- I found the environment perfect for uninterrupted, super productive work (no wifi, ready food, no communication with anyone). If I can't have a laptop, I will go back to premium economy.

GUWonder

A member of the board of directors of a very large company refuses to fly, and so the person takes ships for the trips across the Atlantic Ocean. You can carry laptops onto passenger ships without having them handled by baggage handlers.

traveller42

The UK didn't implement the exact same ban. The UK ban covers specific electronics items and not everything. From https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a...ghts-to-the-uk

and
Also the UK ban doesn't cover the exact same countries and airports as the US one. As far as I can tell the difference is UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Morocco.

PS The UK is still a part of the EU and will be for almost 2 years.

RadioGirl

Even if this were to happen, I assume you mean US gov't employees. What about European or other countries' gov't employees who need to travel to the US?

gumbleby

I'm a bit surprised about this whole electronics ban. When I see sample pictures from X-ray scanners, there's no way you could hide a substantial amount of explosives between the electronics themselves.

One the other hand, I always understood it is difficult to distinguish between batteries and explosives on an X-ray scanner.

In that case, why not simply allow laptops and tablets if the batteries are removed.
Camera's, e-readers etc. only have small batteries to start with.

No need to manually check for electronics, the X-ray will pick out any forgotten batteries.

wco81

A lot of laptops these days do not have removable batteries.

84fiero

I can't claim to have read every piece on this but the only real supposed basis for shifting the devices the cargo hold that I've seen stated in any article, is from unnamed sources within the US gov't that the bombs require manual detonation. Yet individual experts that have been quoted as saying that manual detonation wouldn't absolutely be required and timers could easily be applied with these bombs, making the cargo hold a false solution.

I don't have any expertise of course, but it seems to me that if someone is sophisticated enough to make a usable bomb that still passes through screening methods as a normal electronic device, I don't understand how they could not also set up a timer or other remote detonation.

It's also been posited that the device, due to the fact it also has to pass as a real laptop, etc., isn't that powerful and the terrorist would have to manually hold it right next to the outside of the fuselage to guarantee maximum effect. But an expert I read in an article also contradicted that saying there would still be meaningful damage, even if mainly fire, with it randomly placed in the cargo hold.

All of that in light of the battery risk which I've only read expert opinion stating is more of a risk than these laptop bombs.