The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and the U.S. Travel Association issued separate statements in response to the new electronic device restrictions for passengers traveling aboard select foreign flights.
Following is the GBTA’s official statement on the electronics ban.
“GBTA strongly believes the security of our skies is of the utmost importance,” said GBTA Executive Director and COO Michael W. McCormick. “We support TSA’s efforts in securing our airways and believe they should take all necessary steps to do so. We are awaiting more information as to whether this addresses a specific security threat and also [are] reaching out to our members to assess the impact.
“Nearly half (49 percent) of business travelers prefer to stay connected and get work done while flying,” McCormick continued. “Not allowing them to bring their devices on the plane cuts productivity, taking away time that they can be getting business done. Many business travelers also prefer to keep their devices close for security purposes because they may contain sensitive company information.
“If it is in the best interest of security, business travelers are willing to comply with these types of measures. We encourage DHS to continue to adopt trusted traveler programs and expand PreClearance to ensure that resources can be effectively allocated to detecting threats to homeland security.”
And here is U.S. Travel’s official response to the electronics ban.
“[While] the American travel community supports efforts to make flying more secure ... we urge the federal government to make every effort to minimize disruption to legitimate travelers by clearly and quickly articulating the details of the new policy to enforcement personnel and the flying public,” said U.S. Travel Executive VP for Public Affairs Jonathan Grella. “Even with security as a justification, it does not absolve authorities of the responsibility to communicate.
"As with all security policies, we further urge that this new security measure be continually reassessed moving forward to ensure it remains relevant and effective in the ever-shifting threat environment.”
"We continue to hope that highly visible changes to security protocols in the future will be accompanied by a clear message that the government’s intent is not to suppress, but to secure travel, and that legitimate international business and leisure travelers remain welcomed and valued by the U.S.”
The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday announced a ban “on carrying electronic devices larger than a cellphone” for eight majority-Muslim countries that impacts 10 airports internationally. Shortly after, the U.K. put in place restrictions of its own that affect 14 airlines, including British Airways and EasyJet.
More information on the U.S. electronics ban is available in our initial news write-up.
