US authorities are planning to ban passengers travelling on certain inbound international flights from carrying larger electronic devices into the cabin, which they they say is in response to a terrorist threat – the nature of which remains unspecified.
The ban would mean that any device larger than a mobile phone would have to be stored in checked luggage. That means Kindles, tablets and laptops wouldn’t be allowed in the cabin or in carry-on baggage during the flight.
The rule is expected to be announced Tuesday local time, and will mostly likely cover approximately 12 different international carriers. Exactly which airlines it’ll be isn’t clear right now – but it’s known that Royal Jordanian is affected. Some whispers suggest at least one Saudi Arabian airline is also on the list.
Royal Jordanian posted on Twitter that “following instructions from the concerned U.S. departments, we kindly inform our dearest passengers departing to and arriving from the United States that carrying any electronic or electrical device on board the flight cabins is strictly prohibited.”
Fox News reckons it’ll apply to 13 countries for only 96 hours, but there’s no confirmation on that timeframe. They also report that it is in response to a new intelligence report suggesting a terrorist threat.
We’ll keep you posted on this one.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: Getty Images.
