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The US Isn't Expanding Its Laptop Ban — For Now

The Department of Homeland Security's ban would've barred passengers from Europe from carrying on devices larger than a cellphone.

By: Ryan Biek

Posted at 3:34 PM, May 30, 2017

and last updated 2017-05-30 15:34:10-04

Good news for travelers: The U.S. won't expand its laptop ban to flights from Europe — at least for now.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security already banned travelers from carrying on devices larger than a cellphone from several airports in the Middle East and Africa.

U.S. officials say terrorists can sneak explosives into larger electronics. So to travel with those devices, passengers from select airports must put them in checked luggage.

Homeland Security was thinking about extending the ban to all international flights.

But after U.S. officials spoke with their European counterparts, they agreed there wouldn't be a ban like that for flights across the Atlantic. However an expanded ban isn't permanently off the table.

But some safety experts question if the ban creates its own risks. The lithium ion batteries in some of those devices can randomly explode, and it could take longer to notice a fire in a cargo hold.