U.S. To Ban Laptops in All Cabins of Flights from Europe
Flying is already such a dreadful thing. Even a one hour flight takes 5-7 hours when you count in all the extras. In my experience, a 1 hour flight like London - Brussels, is not much faster than a 7 hour flight like London - New York. Airports are a text book study in what monopoly and fear mongering politicians do.<p>- On the day of the flight you go from your departure city to the airport somewhere far away in the outskirts. That&#x27;s easily an hour, in places like New York or London it can be significantly more.<p>- Depending on whether it&#x27;s a domestic flight or an intercontinental flight, and depending on the airline, you are asked to show up anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours before the flight.<p>- In the airport, you sometimes go through four or five or six lines where you are checked; There is a check in, might be baggage drop, there is security, passport check by, check at the the gate, and sometimes even again when entering the airport.<p>Once you are through security you are forced to spend time in what is basically an overpriced shopping mall but dragging around your coat and carry-on.<p>If you fly with a budget airline, or if you fly to America, you are often forced to wait in crowded waiting areas at the gate, usually without seating for everyone.<p>Sometimes you are stuffed in a bus that takes you from the gate to the plane. These busses are literally stuffed like a Japanese metro.<p>On the plane, you often wait in your chair before takeoff because a connecting flight with passengers has not arrived on time or because the runway is too full.<p>The flight itself is rarely comfortable, but that&#x27;s the necessary part of the trip. Most flights could not be much faster than they are, except on long distance flights if supersonic planes were allowed.<p>At the arrival, you sometimes wait again at the tarmac.<p>Then you go through passport control again.<p>You warit for luggage.<p>And you need transportation from the airport into the destination city.<p>Upon arrival, you have spent what amounts to a full working day or more, even for short flights, and you are exhausted. If someone could take away all the assaults on passengers that the whole airport experience is packed with, flying would be much better, with or without your laptop.