The US DHS is not actively considering expanding a ban of laptops and other electronics from airline cabins to flights leaving the US for other nations or on domestic legs, a spokesman said Wednesday. DHS has been in talks with EC officials about extending its prohibition on electronic devices larger than mobile phones from passenger areas on US-bound flights from Europe despite objections from other nations. The agency has barred the devices on flights from 10 Middle East and North African airports since March 21 out of fears that terrorists could hide explosives in them. DHS Secretary John Kelly hasn’t reached a decision on whether to extend the ban to Europe, spokesman David Lapan said at a briefing. At least for the moment, there also is no consideration to expand it to flights departing from US airports, either for international or domestic trips, Lapan said. “We will make a decision in the best interest of the United States and given the secretary’s authority,” he said.<br/>
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It’s relatively inexpensive and easy, if not always comfortable, to fly to most big US cities. But try to fly from, say, Burlington, Vt., to Portland, Maine: The best option might take you through New York, cost $800, and burn the better part of a day. The regional carriers that used to serve routes like these have been shuttered in the era of a few mega-airlines focused on their national hubs, so the only option for most travelers is a five-hour drive. A startup in San Francisco is trying to redraw the map by tapping into a system that’s largely invisible to everyday travelers: the country’s 3,000 general aviation airports and 10,000 charter aircraft. This fleet of Federal Aviation Administration-regulated Cessna, Beechcraft, and Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. planes sits parked most of the day, waiting for last-minute charters from companies or wealthy individuals. “I thought it would be an amazing thing to bring this type of air travel to everybody,” says Rudd Davis, whose year-old startup, Blackbird Air Inc., is trying to connect more planes with passengers through its Uber-style on-demand app, at much lower prices than the $5,000 a traditional charter might cost. Davis thought of the idea while working toward his pilot’s license at an airstrip in Palo Alto, having sold a data analysis company to Groupon Inc. in 2014. Unlike private-flight booking services like Surf Air and Wheels Up, Blackbird doesn’t require regular membership dues and doesn’t have any aircraft of its own. Davis is relying on charter carriers to fly the routes. That’s a serious advantage for the business model, says Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at researcher Teal Group Corp. “People who go into this business go horribly wrong by overspending on assets,” he says.<br/>
A bipartisan group of US senators reintroduced legislation Thursday to repeal all restrictions on travel to Cuba, this time attracting far more co-sponsors in a sign of growing support for US-Cuban detente even as its future looks uncertain. The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act was introduced in 2015 by eight Republican and Democratic co-sponsors but never made it to the floor. The latest measure attracted 55 co-sponsors. While efforts to ease the decades-old US embargo against Cuba have been gathering strength and 55 votes would be a majority in the 100-member Senate, that number falls short of the 60 needed to advance the legislation. There was no indication the chamber’s Republican leaders would allow the measure to come up for a vote.<br/>