The United States might ban laptops from aircraft cabins on all flights into and out of the country as part of a ramped-up effort to protect against potential security threats, US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said on Sunday.
In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Kelly said the United States planned to "raise the bar" on airline security, including tightening screening of carry-on items.
"That's the thing that they are obsessed with, the terrorists, the idea of knocking down an airplane in flight, particularly if it's a US carrier, particularly if it's full of US people," he added.
In March, the government had already imposed restrictions on large electronic devices in aircraft cabins on flights from 10 airports, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Turkey.
According to Kelly, this move would be a part of a broader airline security effort to combat what he called "a real sophisticated threat." He said no decision had been made as to the timing of any ban.
"We are still following the intelligence," he said, "and are in the process of defining this, but we're going to raise the bar generally speaking for aviation much higher than it is now.
Meanwhile, the airlines are concerned that the ban on laptops may erode the customer demand. However, none wants an incident aboard one of its airplanes.
"Whatever comes out, we'll have to comply with," Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer of United Airlines, told Reuters.
In January, the airlines were all blindsided when President Donald Trump issued an executive order banning entry for 90 days to citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The decision sent airlines scrambling to determine who could board and who could not. The order was later blocked in the courts.
In case of laptops, the administration is keeping the industry in the loop. Delta Air Lines said in a statement it "continues to be in close contact with the US Department of Homeland Security." Munoz applauded the administration for giving the company a "heads up."
"We've had constant updates on the subject," he added. "We know more than most. And again, if there's a credible threat out there, we need to make sure we take the appropriate measures."
