Confirmed: Electronics Ban Between Europe and US Expected Tomorrow

May 10, 2017 By Meghan Hunter

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Lousy news for folks who travel between the US and Europe!

Yesterday I wrote about a rumor that the US would soon ban large electronic devices on all flights from Europe to the US. Via One Mile at a Time, European officials have confirmed the US will announce a ban tomorrow, May 11, 2017.

If the new policy includes the same electronics as the previous ban from Middle Eastern and African airports, you’ll have to check items like your laptop, tablet, or e-Reader. 🙁

I’ll explain what we know so far.

Europe Electronics Ban

Link: Department of Homeland Security Fact Sheet

Link: Department of Homeland Security FAQ

Link: Current Electronics Ban on Flights to US From 10 Cities – What You Need to Know

The US Department of Homeland Security hasn’t released details. But Daily Beast says European officials have confirmed the electronics ban will be extended to flights from Europe to the US.

An official announcement is expected tomorrow. If the ban is similar to the electronics ban on flights to the US from 10 international airports in the Middle East and North Africa, you’ll have to put these items in checked luggage:

Laptops
Tablets
E-Readers (like Kindles)
Cameras
Portable DVD players
Electronic game units larger than a smartphone
Travel printers or scanners

Given the huge amount of passenger traffic between Europe and the US, the new ban will be much more inconvenient for more folks, especially business travelers and folks who like to get work done, watch movies, or play games on their devices in-flight.

As I mentioned yesterday, if you haven’t booked travel from Europe yet, consider routing your flight through Canada. There are plenty of options to connect through airports like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, and more.

And we’ll have a post coming soon about the best ways to protect your checked electronics by paying with cards that offer baggage insurance.

Bottom Line

Unfortunately, the rumors are true! European officials have confirmed the US will announce a ban on in-flight electronics on flights from Europe tomorrow, May 11, 2017.

This isn’t good news for the many folks who travel between Europe and the US, especially with the busy summer travel season coming up.

If you haven’t yet booked travel, consider routing your return flight from Europe through Canada.

How do you feel about the new travel ban? Will you change your travel plans?

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