This is a bit more encouraging.
According to the BBC, flights from the Abu Dhabi airport are now being exempted from the ban imposed on notebooks and tablets in cabin baggage on certain US-bound flights, and the same now applies to two airlines flying from different airports …
Per the article:
Emirates has said the cabin ban on laptops no longer applies on its flights to the United States. Emirates, which flies to the US from its Dubai hub, said it worked with US authorities to meet new security rules.
Turkish Airlines has also announced that it’s easing its notebook ban as well:
Permission was granted by the Department of Homeland Security after verifying that enhanced screening measures were in place for both passengers and their hand-baggage. Exact details are not being disclosed, but it’s been reported that increased use of explosives-sniffing dogs is one of the measures adopted. The BBC notes that higher-tech screening has recently been adopted in Istanbul.
Turkey has recently started using sophisticated tomography imaging devices for X-ray and ultrasound screening at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport.
It appears that the ban, which was somewhat feared to expand to flights departing the USA, or even implemented worldwide, now appear to have been allayed. It’s also thought that the ban was intended as a means pressuring both airports and airlines into implementing tougher security screening procedures on their end.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.