The U.S. government announced today that passengers on incoming flights from select Middle Eastern airports will be forced to check laptops, tablets, iPads, and all electronic devices besides cellphones in baggage stored outside the cabin.
This new policy will impact flights from airports in Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Cairo; Istanbul; Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
As with President Trump's proposed Muslim travel ban, confusion reigned at these airports shortly after the electronics crackdown was announced. The AP reports that about 50 flights a day will be impacted. The foreign airlines that operate such flights have 96 hours to implement the new security measures, lest they risk being banned from flying into the United States.