US/EU: Brace for chaos if US expands airline laptop ban

The trans-Atlantic flight could soon become a gadget-free zone if US officials press forward with a security ban on laptop computers and other larger electronic devices on airline flights from Europe. Carriers are bracing for operational chaos at European airports after the Department of Homeland Security said last week it might expand to Europe a ban imposed in March on US-bound flights from 10 Middle Eastern airports. The new security protocol could mean longer security lines, heightened delays, boarding gate confusion, and yet more hassles for fliers. “I think it’s going to be extremely chaotic,” said Rich Roth, executive director of CTI Consulting, a security firm that focuses on aviation. He predicts that airlines, airports, and European officials will press the DHS to review its analysis of the trans-Atlantic threat, hoping for a more lenient strategy than the currently envisioned ban. “I think they went a little bit overboard in their risk assessment,” said Roth. Corporations and their travel managers are up in arms about the proposed electronics ban, said Greg Raiff, CE of New Hampshire-based charter operator Private Jet Services.<br/>