Last month, I talked about the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s decision to require laptops and other large personal electronic devices (PEDs) to be carried in checked baggage on flights to the United States from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa, and about the prospect of those restrictions, often referred to as the laptop ban, being expanded to cover flights from Europe. On May 30, DHS took the somewhat unusual step of announcing that it was not announcing a laptop ban extension, at least not yet.
On June 28, DHS Secretary John F. Kelly announced upgraded security measures to be applied to all commercial flights to the United States from abroad. The new measures, which include “enhanced screening of electronic devices, more thorough passenger vetting and new measures designed to mitigate the potential threat of insider attacks,” do not include an include an expansion of the laptop ban. In fact, if the 10 airports subject to the initial restrictions i…
