Australia may ban laptops on international flights, Malcolm Turnbull says....

[kpc]

Australia may ban laptops on international flights, Malcolm Turnbull says - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

I think the absolutely safest thing to do now is to ban passengers from planes!! :evil::shock:

 

[straitman]

Australia may ban laptops on international flights, Malcolm Turnbull says - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

I think the absolutely safest think to do now is to ban passengers from planes!! :evil::shock:

Agreed.

Banning Laptops is purely cosmetic and ....... ?I don't know what else to say to this continued stupidity. :evil:

 

[samh004]

What a bloody joke!

So long as they only screw passengers to the US I should be safe for a while though... as I don't intend to visit.

 

[mannej]

What is the greater risk, a laptop based attack or a laptop battery deciding that it wants combust in flight?

 

[Himeno]

What is the greater risk, a laptop based attack or a laptop battery deciding that it wants combust in flight?

A battery fire.

 

[theblank]

I almost got <in real trouble> when I took a flatbed scanner in my carry on. The steel bar that is the main component freaks out the scanners, because it looks like a screwdriver!
The funny part was that it was on my return flight, so never got picked up on the outbound leg.

 

[RooFlyer]

I heard an ABC radio report this morning about the supposed discussion by Trump with the Russians of 'very sensitive' intelligence about a developing IS plot. I gathered this intelligence, not shared with (?many) Allies because of the sensitive source, was the reason behind the laptop ban from certain ME countries.

Now the intelligence is 'in the open' so to speak, I wonder if that's why Turnbull is now thinking about it?

I can't see why laptops in the hold are any safer than in the cabin, either - probably less safe.

 

[Himeno]

I can't see why laptops in the hold are any safer than in the cabin, either - probably less safe.

Absolutely less safe. Batteries have a habit of catching fire. There were at least 3 dozen battery related fires on aircraft last year. While some of those were due to things that can only happen in the cabin (eg, pax losing phone down seat then moving seat and breaking battery) others were when the device was in the overhead doing nothing.

A battery fire in the cabin has much better chances of being noticed and dealt with safely before it becomes a major problem, while the same fire in the cargo hold is much more easily able to spread and lead to the loss of the aircraft.

 

[samh004]

A battery fire in the cabin has much better chances of being noticed and dealt with safely before it becomes a major problem, while the same fire in the cargo hold is much more easily able to spread and lead to the loss of the aircraft.

I hear what you're saying, blanket ban on all electronic devices. Abacus allowed at this stage.

 

[straitman]

I hear what you're saying, blanket ban on all electronic devices. Abacus allowed at this stage.

Couldn't the abacus be used as a weapon?

 

[dasheighty]

Couldn't the abacus be used as a weapon?

Could that abacus be construed as a weapon of maths destruction??

 

[Hvr]

The proposed ban has nothing to do with batteries.

First on CNN: New terrorist laptop bombs may evade airport security, intel sources say - CNNPolitics.com (CNN)US intelligence and law enforcement agencies believe that ISIS and other terrorist organizations have developed innovative ways to plant explosives in electronic devices that FBI testing shows can evade some commonly used airport security screening methods, CNN has learned.



Heightening the concern is US intelligence suggesting that terrorists have obtained sophisticated airport security equipment to test how to effectively conceal explosives in laptops and other electronic devices.

 

[opusman]

Australia always rushes to copy everything the US does, the only surprising thing is it took so long.

 

[Himeno]

The proposed ban has nothing to do with batteries.

Doesn't matter. You are missing the point.
Banning devices from the passenger cabin and forcing them into the cargo hold, as this would do increases the risks of a battery fire from said devices. Something that is a vastly higher risk then any possible "attack" from any "terrorist" group.

 

[mannej]

The proposed ban has nothing to do with batteries.

If you want an example of what Li Ion batteries can do in a cargo hold, look at UPS6 as a starting point.

 

[JohnK]

Not an ideal situation but surely not the end of the world unless your life depends on electronic gadgets?

Some can remember travelling in the old days and it wasn't that bad.

 

[Pushka]

Not an ideal situation but surely not the end of the world unless your life depends on electronic gadgets?

Some can remember travelling in the old days and it wasn't that bad.

How about those who travel overseas for work? Nothing whatsoever to do with life depending on electronic gadgets but as a means of earning money. And putting a laptop into checked in baggage means no computer access in the lounge nor working onboard. Let alone risk of damage given the way suitcases look after arrival. Would be a serious imposition to us.

 

[anat0l]

Not an ideal situation but surely not the end of the world unless your life depends on electronic gadgets?

Some can remember travelling in the old days and it wasn't that bad.

How about those who travel overseas for work? Nothing whatsoever to do with life depending on electronic gadgets but as a means of earning money. And putting a laptop into checked in baggage means no computer access in the lounge nor working onboard. Let alone risk of damage given the way suitcases look after arrival. Would be a serious imposition to us.

In the old days, business didn't rely on people carrying a computer of sorts, because business wasn't substantially reliant on individuals having a computer, let alone a personal portable computer.

Add to the above the fact that no insurance covers a laptop carried in a checked bag. Other key risks include theft by baggage handlers (ironically especially in the USA), and the entire piece of checked luggage being misplaced (or stolen for that matter). We always bleat that you do not check in anything that is valuable or essential. A laptop ban would make that advice impossible, save for not bringing the laptop along in the first place.

 

[Pushka]

In the old days, business didn't rely on people carrying a computer of sorts, because business wasn't substantially reliant on individuals having a computer, let alone a personal portable computer.

Add to the above the fact that no insurance covers a laptop carried in a checked bag. Other key risks include theft by baggage handlers (ironically especially in the USA), and the entire piece of checked luggage being misplaced (or stolen for that matter). We always bleat that you do not check in anything that is valuable or essential. A laptop ban would make that advice impossible, save for not bringing the laptop along in the first place.

Indeed. It's like saying we shouldn't have emails. I didn't know that about insurance cover - makes things untenable really.

 

[Hvr]

Doesn't matter. You are missing the point.
<snip>

I haven't missed the point at all. The ban is being discussed is because there is credible information that explosives can be concealed in a laptop.

If you want an example of what Li Ion batteries can do in a cargo hold, look at UPS6 as a starting point.

No question at all that Li on batteries are extremely dangerous, more so in the hold.