British Airways announced that passengers who cannot turn on their devices might not be able to board planes.
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Passengers who cannot turn on their devices will not be allowed to board British Airways planes. The order to increase airport security was made by Washington Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson after intelligence said that al Qaida’s chief bomb maker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, was aligning with jihadists in Syria.
According to The Independent, a spokesman for British Airways said, “British Airways is complying with the new security requirements from the US government on flights from the UK to the US.”
The rule says, “if the device doesn’t switch on, you won’t be allowed on to the aircraft.” The rule is a surprise to some passengers, who are not accustomed to these checks. It might lead travelers to search for their cell phone chargers. According to the Daily Mail, security personnel may ask passengers to power up their devices at checkpoints. The passengers can be immediately banned from the flight, even if they say that they would leave behind the cell phone or other electronic device.