US and European officials will discuss plans to broaden a US ban on in-flight laptops and tablets to include planes from Europe. (AP file photo)London/New York: The widening of a US ban on carrying electronic devices aboard aircraft to include flights from Europe would cost travellers in excess of $1 billion, the head of the airline industry's global lobby group said. "Travelling with your laptop is part of everyday life," he told Bloomberg, predicting that further measures would cause "significant" disruption in the trans-Atlantic business market. The measure would cost passengers $655 million in terms of lost productivity, $216 million from longer travel times, and $195 million for the rental of loaner devices on board, it calculates. If governments agree that wider curbs are necessary they should consider applying measures to enhance security while avoiding the concentration of devices in holds, the communication says.

Source: Bangkok Post May 18, 2017 06:22 UTC