People everywhere are talking about the expansion of the electronics ban to European flights as if it is a sure thing and, if it is, the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has some suggestions for the administration when it comes to preventing chaos at airports.
In a statement, senior vice president of government and public affairs, Eben Peck, proposes steps that policymakers can explore before enacting the ban.
"With regard to the rumored expansion of the electronics ban to additional European airports, we suggest that serious consideration be given to the possibility of exempting travelers enrolled in Global Entry and equivalent trusted traveler programs from the electronics ban," says Peck.
"If we have faith in the efficacy of these programs - and we must - then exempting these pre-screened, low-risk travelers from the ban would seem to be a sensible way to both minimize disruption to a portion of the traveling public while incentivizing enrollment."
If the government does, in fact, heed this advice, Global Entry will likely see a huge boost in enrollees.
While ASTA believes that the safety of travelers is of the utmost importance, the organization cautions the administration against potentially causing major disruptions in the travel space, saying the following:
"Broadly speaking, while we believe that securing the global aviation system from terrorist attack should be the U.S. government's primary objective, our members have expressed concern about the ban and its potential to negatively impact air travel and the broader industry."
[READMORE]READ MORE: Electronics Ban Likely to Include Flights From Europe [/READMORE]
ASTA specifically calls out the general disruption to business and leisure travelers, the risks involved in checking expensive electronics, the risk of having lithium batteries in checked luggage as negative impacts, among others.
ASTA also advises that any new regulations be rolled out carefully so as not to create chaos for travelers.
"With regard to the electronics ban as well as other recent actions related to travel, we urge the Administration to expeditiously set clear rules of the road so that travel industry stakeholders can serve their clients, that travel disruptions are kept to a minimum and that the traveling public can maintain confidence in an industry so vital to our nation's economy," says the statement.
So far, airlines have only been told to prepare for the electronics ban to be expanded to European flights. It remains to be seen if this will actually take effect.
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