A ban on laptops and tablets in cabin baggage on flights from Turkey and some countries in the Middle East and North Africa to the United States and United Kingdom has come into effect.Officials said devices “larger than a smartphone” must travel in the hold because of an increased risk that they could contain explosives.The BBC reports that at least one airline is allowing devices to be used up until boarding.The US ban covers eight countries, while the UK restrictions apply to six.Nine airlines from eight countries – Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait – are affected by the US ban.They operate about 50 flights a day to the US.UAE airline Emirates is offering complimentary packing and shipping services at gates to enable passengers to use their electronic devices after check-in and until boarding.That also means passengers flying on two-leg trips from other countries to the US through Dubai can use their laptops on the first leg of their flights. </s> The UK has followed the lead of the United States and is now starting to ban passengers from carrying electronic devices like their laptops and cameras onto planes to and from specific Middle Eastern countries. The list of countries that will be affected by the U.S. ban includes Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Authorities in the United States have told airline companies privately that they must forbid passengers from carrying electronic devices other than their phones onto planes. The Guardian reports that TSA (the US Transportation Safety Administration) are the specific authorities behind this recent ban on electronic devices on planes from the Middle East and that the specific details of the ban were found inside a confidential email.

Electronic devices that would be banned in flights from the Middle East to the United States include Kindles, iPads, laptops, and any cameras that are larger in size than phones. The airlines which will be the most affected by this ban include Turkish Airlines, Saudi Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Egyptair, Kuwait Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Morocco, Emirates, and Etihad.

While this new rule banning electronic devices is not an “official” regulation, it is nevertheless something that the American government is expecting airlines to comply with in the next 96 hours and it will affect travelers both to and from the Middle East.

An agent from one of the Middle Eastern airlines that is affected by this new ban has explained that from this day forward, passengers will be forced to put their laptops and other electronic devices into their checked baggage.

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement explaining the American government’s reasoning behind the new laptop travel ban.

Now that the United States has banned electronic devices on Middle Eastern flights, the UK has also decided to place their own ban on them as well. The countries which will be affected are Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. This means that if you are flying in or out of one of these countries on a UK flight, you will not be allowed to carry anything electronic inside the cabin of the plane besides your phone.

As well as eight foreign carriers, The Guardian says that six British airlines will be affected by the new electronic devices ban. These include British Airways, Thomas Cook, Thomson, EasyJet, Monarch, and Jet2.

Many are questioning the UK’s decision to enact a ban on electronic devices to and from the Middle East and question whether this is in some way connected with Donald Trump’s recent travel ban. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has stressed that this is not the case but did admit that the UK had been speaking with government officials in the U.S. to learn more about their recent electronic device ban.

This recent UK ban on laptops is also not reported to be due to elevated levels of threats from terrorists in the Middle East. Rather, it is alleged to be in response to general worries over the evolving technological prowess of terrorists. Prime Minister Theresa May has so far conducted several meetings to determine what the UK’s response should be to air security in the future, and this resulted in Tuesday’s ban on all large electronic devices to and from the Middle East.

Do you think the US and UK ban on electronic devices on flights to and from Middle Eastern countries is a good or bad idea and why? </s> Laptops are No No in Cabin Now

To boost aviation security against terrorist attacks, the Trump administration imposed an indefinite ban of electronic devices on all airlines flying directly from eight countries in the Middle East and Africa to the United States.

The ban entails a total ban of electronic devices in the cabin. Any devices bigger than smartphones will have to be kept in the cargo hold for the duration of the flight. This means iPads, Kindles and laptops are not allowed in the cabin.

The Associated Press says there are 10 international airports covered by the ban including in Cairo, Egypt; Dubai and Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.; Istanbul, Turkey; Doha, Qatar; Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City; Casablanca, Morocco; and Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Nine airlines are affected by this ban that fly direct to the United States from the affected airports. Here is the list: EgyptAir, Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

The policy does not affect any American carriers because none fly directly to the United States from the airports.

US officials have been concerned about speculation terrorists plan to smuggle a “laptop bomb” onto commercial flights. Security screening in airports is not enough to detect these terror threats. To prevent this from happening, the ban of electronics inside the cabin was imposed.

In addition, US officials believe explosives can be hidden in a laptop to bring down a passenger jet. This is what happened last year when the Somali extremist group al-Shabaab smuggled an explosive-filled laptop on a flight out of Mogadishu. It detonated soon after take-off and made a hole in the side of the plane. The incident killed only the bomber.

Intelligence also highlighted the growing potential and threat from al Qaeda in Syria, Al Shabaab and ISIS.

The ban covers all electronic devices bigger than a smart phone. These devices are banned from cabin baggage and can only be carried if packed in checked-in hold baggage.

Devices covered by the ban include laptops, iPads, hand-held gaming devices, DVD players, Kindles, tablets, and so on. Items covered by the ban are those longer than 16.0cm, wider than 9.3cm and deeper than 1.5cm. However, medical devices required during the flight will still be allowed in the cabin after security screening. </s> Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Kuwaiti activist Thamer Bourashed stows his laptop in hold baggage before boarding

A ban on laptops and tablets in cabin baggage on flights from Turkey and some countries in the Middle East and North Africa to the US and UK has come into effect.

Officials say devices "larger than a smartphone" must travel in the hold because of an increased risk that they could contain explosives.

At least one airline is allowing devices to be used up until boarding.

The US ban covers eight countries, while the UK restrictions apply to six.

Nine airlines from eight countries - Turkey, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait - are affected by the US ban. They operate about 50 flights a day to the US.

Laptop ban: What about the parents?

Will new US and UK flight rules affect me?

Somali plane bomb: What happened?

UAE airline Emirates is offering complimentary packing and shipping services at gates to enable passengers to use their electronic devices after check-in and until boarding.

That also means passengers flying on two-leg trips from other countries to the US through Dubai can use their laptops on the first leg of their flights.

Image caption The UK ban applies to direct inbound flights from six countries; the US ban lists eight countries

The UK ban meanwhile affects all flights out of Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Lebanon.

The British ban applies to any device, including smartphones, larger than 16cm (6.3in) long, 9.3cm (3.7in) wide or 1.5cm (0.6in) deep. However, most phones will be smaller than the limit.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged the US and UK to lift the bans as soon as possible.

The US Department for Homeland Security has cited attacks on planes and airports over the past two years as the reason for the ban,

Bombs, it said, had been hidden in such items as a soft drink can, used in the downing of a Russian airliner over Egypt in October 2015 with the loss of 224 lives, and the laptop used in the unsuccessful Somali attack last year.

European security experts are to meet next week to discuss the US and UK bans, the Guardian newspaper reported.

Royal Jordanian Airlines has tweeted suggestions of things to do during a long flight instead of using an electronic device.

Image copyright @RoyalJordanian

It followed up with another tweet suggesting that passengers "do what we Jordanians do best - stare at each other!"

Aviation experts say the ban could hit airline profits as risks include a fall in passenger numbers, decreasing customer satisfaction and higher costs linked to screening baggage. </s> CUSTOMERS with Jet2 are among airline passengers travelling to the UK from six countries in the Middle East and north Africa who are to be banned from carrying laptops and other large electronic devices as cabin luggage, Downing Street has announced. The ban affects direct inbound flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia and covers devices which are larger than a typical smartphone measuring 16cm by 9.3cm by 1.5cm, which will now have to go in the plane's hold.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Thetelegraphand Argus. </s> Travelers heading to the U.S. from 10 international airports are feeling the impact of a new electronics ban.The new ban ordered passengers from bringing most types of electronic devices into the cabin for U.S.-bound flights. Instead, those devices are wrapped up and stored in the cargo hold.The U.S. ban covers flights from 10 airports, including major global hubs like Dubai. The other airports affected are Cairo International in Egypt, Abu Dhabi International in Abu Dhabi, Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkey, Hamad International in, Qatar, Queen Alia International in Jordan, Kuwait International in Kuwait Mohammed V International in Morocco, King Abdulaziz International and King Khalid International in Saudi Arabia.Smartphones will still be allowed in the cabin, but any electronic devices bigger than that will have to be checked in either with your luggage or at the gate. That includes laptops, cameras, gaming devices and tablets such as iPads and larger smartphones, like the iPhone 7 plus, are also not being allowed on board.Medical devices will still be allowed in the cabin after security screening.Officials said the ban is after concerns about potential terrorist attacks, using electronic devices.The U.S. government officially notified the airlines on Tuesday and had a deadline to comply by Saturday.There have been reports that airlines have been scrambling to implement the new rules, so the best advice is, if you're flying internationally to the U.S. or the U.K. is to arrive earlier than normal. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Why are gadgets banned but mobiles ok? Daniel Sandford explains

The US and UK are banning laptops from cabin baggage on flights from certain countries in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Turkey.

The US ban on electronic devices larger than a smartphone is being imposed as an anti-terrorist precaution.

It covers inbound flights on nine airlines operating out of 10 airports. Phones are not affected.

The British ban, announced hours after the American measure, is similar but applies to different airlines.

Downing Street said airline passengers on 14 carriers would not be able to carry laptops in cabin luggage on inbound direct flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

The Turkish government said the US ban was wrong and should be reversed.

Large electronic devices will still be allowed on board in checked baggage.

Canadian Transport Minister Marc Garneau said his country was also considering restrictions on electronics in the cabins of planes.

Which flights are affected?

British Airways and EasyJet are among the airlines affected by the UK ban.

The nine airlines affected by the US ban are Royal Jordanian, EgyptAir, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways.

The 10 airports affected are:

Mohammed V International, Casablanca, Morocco Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey Cairo International Airport, Egypt Queen Alia International, Amman, Jordan King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia King Khalid International, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Kuwait International Airport Hamad International, Doha, Qatar Abu Dhabi International, United Arab Emirates Dubai International, United Arab Emirates

The airlines included in the US decision have been given a deadline of 07:00 GMT on Saturday to impose the ban, officials said, adding that the restriction had no end date.

However, an Emirates spokeswoman told Reuters news agency the airline understood that the US directive would come into effect on 25 March and remain valid until 14 October 2017.

Image caption The UK ban applies to direct inbound flights from six countries; the US ban lists eight countries

Why now?

The restriction is based, we are told, on "evaluated intelligence", BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner writes.

That means that US intelligence has either intercepted discussion of a possible extremist plot or has been passed word of one by a human informant.

The Middle Eastern and North African airports affected are nearly all ones with close, friendly relations with Washington, so this will be seen by some as a drastic and unpopular measure. Wealthy Gulf Arab business leaders flying to the US, for example, will no longer be able to work on their laptops mid-flight.

But aviation security experts were alarmed by an incident in Somalia last year when the insurgent group al-Shabaab smuggled an explosive-filled laptop on a flight out of Mogadishu, blowing a hole in the side of the plane. The aircraft was still low enough that the pilot was able to land the plane safely.

How is the ban being justified?

In a statement, the DHS cited attacks on planes and airports over the past two years.

Bombs, it said, had been hidden in such items as a soft drink can, in the downing of a Russian airliner over Egypt in October 2015 with the loss of 224 lives, and the laptop used in the unsuccessful Somali attack last year.

"Terrorists have historically tried to hide explosives in shoes in 2001, use liquid explosives in 2006, and conceal explosives in printers in 2010 and suicide devices in underwear in 2009 and 2012," it noted.

Image copyright AP Image caption So-called Islamic State said it bombed the Russian plane over Egypt

"Evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation, to include smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items," the DHS said.

A British Government spokesperson said: "The additional security measures may cause some disruption for passengers and flights, and we understand the frustration that will cause, but our top priority will always be to maintain the safety of British nationals."

Will the ban be effective?

Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan told reporters the ban was "not a right move".

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Ataturk Airport, which has stringent security checks in place, was attacked last year

"We particularly emphasise how this will not benefit the passenger and that reverse steps or a softening should be adopted," he added.

Philip Baum, editor in chief of Aviation Security magazine, told the BBC: "If we cannot, in 2017, distinguish between a laptop that contains an IED [improvised explosive device] and one that does not, then our screening process is completely flawed.

"And encouraging people to check laptops, and other such items, into the luggage hold simply makes the challenge even harder. Cabin baggage can, at least, be inspected piece by piece and the accompanying passenger questioned."

Simon Calder, travel editor of the UK's Independent newspaper, suggested the British ban would affect travellers differently because it included budget flights.

"It's easy for the Americans, they don't have as many flights as us coming in and furthermore they don't have things like low-cost flights where I'm not going to pay to check in a bag," he told the BBC.

"And suddenly I've got my laptop, I'm going to have to put that in a little bag and hand it in. Oh, and by the way, good news for petty thieves all over the airports of the world because lots of rich pickings are going to be around."

Is this linked to the Trump travel ban?

Officials quoted by Reuters news agency said the new measure was not connected to US President Donald Trump's efforts to ban travellers from six Muslim-majority states.

Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning </s> Controversial ban preventing Middle Eastern passengers carrying their laptops on flights to the US officially ends

The United States has ended a four-month ban on passengers from certain Middle Eastern and North African countries, from taking their devices onto flights to America.

Under the leadership of the Trump administration, the US in March had banned the carrying of laptops in aircraft cabins on flights from eight predominately Muslim nations, due to security concerns.

However the US had stopped short of banning laptops on all flights to America, much to the relief of passengers from European countries travelling to the US.

The US ban on laptops from certain countries had stemmed from previous concerns over bombs being carried in laptops.

That concern had required people to turn on their laptops if requested by airport personnel, in order to prove the battery pack had not been replaced with explosives.

But the US decision to end the laptop ban altogether came after officials from the US department of homeland security (DHS) confirmed in a Tweet that King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) was the last of 10 airports to have the ban lifted.

The DHS also lifted the ban on nine airlines including Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Kuwait Airways, EgyptAir and Royal Air Maroc.

Those were apparently the only airlines to fly direct flights to the United States. DHS officials had apparently visited 10 airports in Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey to confirm new security measures were being implemented, before they decided to lift the ban.

These new security measures include enhanced passenger screening at foreign airports, increased security protocols around aircraft and in passenger areas, and more checks by sniffer dogs.

And airlines that fail to comply could face electronics restrictions.

However it should be noted that a travel ban on citizens from six Muslim-majority countries – Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen – remains in place. Although this ban is currently hampered because of various court proceedings in the US.

Meanwhile it worth noting that the United Kingdom continues its ban on in-cabin electronics on flights from a number of Middle Eastern airports including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

That said, there are reports in the Turkish media that British authorities will soon lift the ban on flights from Turkey.

Carrying electronics on airlines has become a touchy subject in recent times.

Travel safety experts for example have long argued that rules that forced laptops to be placed in plane holds could cause its own safety issues, since lithium battery fires would be difficult to extinguish there.

Earlier this year United Airlines and Delta Airlines both banned the bulk shipping of lithium-ion batteries over safety concerns.

Quiz: What do you know about the new US President Donald Trump and his relationship with technology? </s> The U.K. is joining the U.S. in its ban restricting passengers from bringing some electronic devices onto flights from the Middle East.

Phones, laptops, and tablets that are larger than 16 cm (6.3 inches) in length and wider than 9.3 cm will no longer be allowed in the cabin on select flights coming from several Middle Eastern countries, the U.K.'s department of transportation said on Tuesday.

The U.K. said it was in "close contact" with the U.S. since the country announced its own ban on Monday. However, the U.K. made no mention of any specific risk, only that it faces "evolving" terrorism threats.

The six countries included in the ban are Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Tunisia.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a similar action that will apply to flights from 10 airports in the Middle East and Africa starting later this week. It also bans consumer devices larger than a smartphone.

Terrorist groups "are aggressively pursuing innovative methods to undertake their attacks, to include smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items,” the DHS said.

However, the electronics ban reportedly stems from no "specific, newly discovered threat," but instead general caution.

Last year, a bomb built into a laptop slipped past an airport security check and exploded on a Somali passenger flight, injuring two and killing the suspected terrorist. A Somali terrorist group with ties to Al-Qaeda reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

The U.K.'s transportation department didn't say how long its restriction might last. "We understand the frustration that these measures may cause and we are working with the aviation industry to minimize any impact," it said.

However, the new regulations from the U.S. and U.K. only apply to electronics brought into airplane cabins and doesn't appear to affect any devices checked in baggage.

That's raising some questions over the efficacy of the bans.

"If there is a threat, you need a much, much wider, universal ban -- and explain why iPads & Kindles, but not phablets," tweeted Zeynep Tufekci, a professor at the University of North Carolina who studies technology.
The UK-US air travel ban on laptops and other electronic devices in the passenger cabin comes into effect.