The Wall Street Journal | By Alexandre de Juniac | May 30, 2017 3:36 p.m. ET:
Airlines have considerable expertise on safety and security matters. Governments should tap it.
As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security considers expanding its ban on laptops and other large portable electronic devices from the aircraft cabins of U.S.-bound international flights, it should base its decision on the best information from the best experts it has access to. One major expert source on the matter, however, isn’t being fully included in the discussion: the air-transport industry.
The existing U.S. ban currently applies only to flights to the U.S. from 10 airports in the Middle East and Africa. DHS is considering whether to extend that coverage to encompass all flights to the U.S. from Europe, and possibly all flights to the U.S. from anywhere in the world. The U.K. has also implemented a ban from a similar but not identical list of states.
Such a decision needs careful consideration. Forbidding some 300,000 passengers from carrying laptops, tablets and e-readers in their cabin baggage on the more than 2,000 international flights that arrive at U.S. airports daily will damage the global economy and impose an enormous inconvenience on air travelers.
The International Air Transport Association estimates that a laptop ban on flights to the U.S. from Europe would cost at least $1 billion a year in lost productivity and increased delays to passengers. And that’s not counting the emotional toll. Business travelers expect to be productive throughout the flight, and millions of parents traveling with young children rely on their tablets to keep their kids entertained.
An increase in the number of lithium-battery-powered devices in the cargo hold also poses risks to passenger safety. Putting so many devices in close proximity, away from crew members trained and equipped to manage cabin fires, risks a malfunction that could overwhelm current fire-containment capabilities.
The travel industry stands to be impacted by an expanded ban, as some companies don’t permit their laptops to be checked in as baggage for reasons of corporate security and to avoid possible damage in transit. As business-class fares account for a large share of airline revenue, a small drop in business travelers would quickly make a flight unprofitable. That could result in fewer, or more expensive, flights for leisure travelers.
When it comes to devising the most efficient means of implementing a ban, airlines and airports have the operational expertise to help governments overcome the threats they detect, and to do so with minimal disruption to travelers. Unfortunately, the level of industry consultation in this regard has been disappointing.
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