UK Flights Now Ban Larger Electronic Devices

[froggyboy604]

The other day it was reported that the US would be banning flights from certain countries from allowing larger electronic devices to be brought on board. Now it seems that over in the UK, the government is also instituting a similar ban on larger electronic devices that can be brought on board.

This ban will apply to devices that are larger than 16cm in length, 9.3cm in width, or 1.5cm in depth. For the most part the average smartphone should have no problems being brought on board, but anything that might be larger like a tablet or a laptop, you can pretty much forget about it. This would apply to all electronics even e-readers or gaming consoles, all of which will have to be checked in.

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For shorter trips, I think traveling by train, boat, bus, or car travel can be better now since there are not as many restrictions on what you can bring onboard as a passenger. Plus, travelling by train or a large boat like a cruise ship can be less stressful if you don't like heights, or you don't like flying in general because of crowds.

I see a rise in people reading books/magazines, and using a Nintendo 3DS, and other similar sized game consoles for entertaining themselves on a plane since not everyone has a good smartphone with long battery life or enough performance to play 3D games in High quality video mode, and now they can't bring laptops and tablets on board UK flights.

I wonder would plane passengers be allowed to bring smaller electronic like a Mini-PC and small LCD, and keyboard devices to turn into a larger device like a laptop to use on a flight.

There are portable keyboards, smaller 7 inch LCD screens, mini computers like the Raspberry Pi 3 or Intel Compute Stick, and smaller mobile batteries where you can easily build a mini laptop to use.

There are also laptop cases for some mini computers like the Raspberry Pi 3 which turns it into a mini laptop. But, you may need to use your own battery, or Micro-USB power adapter to power it.

 

[erich]

I work in the aviation industry and I can't figure this one out. Does the ban actually mean "ban". Meaning that they can't even be in your checked luggage?

 

[Demon_Skeith]

So pretty much any laptops are banned now?

 

[froggyboy604]

I work in the aviation industry and I can't figure this one out. Does the ban actually mean "ban". Meaning that they can't even be in your checked luggage?

According to the article larger electronics are banned from boarding the plan, so it could include carry-on luggage, and cargo at the bottom of the plane. I think the airlines are afraid that the laptop and tablet is actually a bomb with a timer which will go off when the alarm goes off, or a fake laptop or tablet contains a weapon like a small gun or knife which is hidden inside the body of a fake tablet and laptop.

So pretty much any laptops are banned now?

Yes, most laptops could be banned by the staff. You maybe able to bring a smaller 7 inch mini-laptop , but smaller laptops and portable may look out of place, and cause the security guard to question you about the device, and yourself to make sure your things are not weapons, and you are not up to no good.

 

[VirusZero]

I could see a laptop holding a bomb... but not a gun.
Guns tend to be larger, much thicker than any laptop would be. Even a really small cartridge like a .22 is still pretty big gun. Maybe if they machined it themselves... but that takes a fair bit of work. A lot more than making a bomb. (I mean bombs are simple. A combustible material, an ignition method, possibly an oxidizing agent and you're done. Guns are so much more complex from the rifling in the barrel for accuracy to the trigger mechanism to a feed mechanism if you want any kind of speed to shoot.)

Plus some laptops are just too thin to even really be worth trying to stuff with explosives. I mean most tablets are way too thin to really be able to handle much explosive. (Short of a high grade variety like C4... but if they can get C4 then it could be molded into all kinds of shapes.)

Most other electronics would be similar to the tablets, too thin to really bother packing with explosives.

 

[froggyboy604]

There maybe some terrorists, criminals, and the mentally ill who just want to cause panic, and may not want to die in a plane crash. They may cause panic by showing their fake gun or a knife hidden in their electronics while they ride on a plane.

It would be safer to catch these people before they enter the plane, and cause safety problems by showing their fake weapons.

 

[Ash]

It's because terrorists are able to hide explosives inside the laptop. It may not be a large amount but they don't want to take a risk which is why they are banning electronic devices from being carried in hand luggage. A bomb that is away from the terrorist is a lot less dangerous than if it was with them