The US DHS is still considering an expansion of a ban on laptops and other large electronics in airline cabins after Secretary John Kelly spoke to European officials on Tuesday, a department spokesman said. The spokesman, David Lapan, confirmed that Kelly spoke to European Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc on Tuesday and told them that while no expansion was announced Tuesday that it "is still on the table." Lapan said both sides agreed on the need to improve "aviation security globally, including through a range of potential seen and unseen enhancements." Lapan said that "Secretary Kelly affirmed he will implement any and all measures necessary to secure commercial aircraft flying to the United States – including prohibiting large electronic devices from the passenger cabin – if the intelligence and threat level warrant it." Lapan said no announcement on any expansion was planned this week. An EU Commission spokesman said Kelly did not make an announcement about whether the United States would extend the ban to European airports during the "positive and constructive" call. "Both sides agreed to intensify talks both at technical and political levels to find common solutions to mitigate potential threats to aviation security and work together to step up security requirements," the spokesman added.<br/>
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An armed man at the Orlando International Airport was taken into custody Tuesday night after a nearly three-hour standoff with police, authorities said. No one was hurt, but the terrifying situation created confusion and uncertainty as travelers posted video and photos online showing police at the airport with their weapons drawn. "Gunman is in custody. Everyone is safe," Orlando police tweeted shortly after 10 p.m. Glorializ Colón Plaza, 20, told the Orlando Sentinel she was just getting off work from Virgin Atlantic airlines when she saw everyone hiding. She got off the elevator and saw the man on the floor near the rental car area. He was screaming, and cops had surrounded him. "I couldn't make out the words, but he was screaming really loud," she said. "Everyone there told me right before this happened a man said to everyone: 'You're going to need mental therapy after this,' then he pulled out a gun and everyone ran." Plaza said she didn't hear any gunshots or see anyone injured. "I saw all the cops with the long rifles and started shaking," she said. "It didn't seem real."<br/>
When it launched in 2013, AirHelp made a simple promise: Report your flight disasters to the company’s customer service agents, and they’ll litigate against airlines on your behalf. You don’t have to pay a penny—unless they manage to get you a settlement. And when they do, the service takes a 25% cut. Simple. On Tuesday, the three-year-old company is taking its next step toward seamless airline compensation with an expansion of its namesake app. Offered free on the iTunes and Android Play stores, the app used to require that travelers fill out a short survey and provide a description of their issue to initiate a claim; now, travelers can simply scan an image of their boarding pass and let AirHelp take care of the rest. With the information from your boarding pass stored in the AirHelp system, the company can track your flight for delays, cancellations, and overbooking so claims can get rolling before you pick up the phone. “Before we came along, people didn’t know about their rights at all,” said AirHelp Chief Executive Officer Henrik Zillmer. “Most people don’t know the law—and even if they did, they might not know what they’re entitled to. It’s actually very complicated, and that’s why we exist.” Now, roughly one in three Europeans is aware of air passenger rights, according to Zillmer. “We still have a huge educational learning curve ahead of us.” To date, AirHelp has processed claims for 2m air passengers for a total compensation of $195m. (Zillmer said the average payout runs from $500 to $600, often divided among multiple family members flying together and filing a joint claim.) <br/>