Airline electronics ban: What you need to know

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Flying to the U.S. and Britain from airports in the Middle East and North Africa just got a lot more complicated.

The Trump administration has ordered nine airlines to stop passengers from bringing most types of electronic devices -- except smartphones -- into the cabin for U.S.-bound flights. Instead, they'll have to check them in.

The U.K. government announced similar restrictions on Tuesday.

The sudden moves, attributed to concerns about potential terrorist attacks, creates a new headache for airline staff and passengers.

Here are the key things to know:

Which airports are involved?

The U.S. ban cover 10 airports, including major global hubs such as Dubai.

The full list: Cairo, Egypt; Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Istanbul, Turkey; Doha, Qatar; Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City; Casablanca, Morocco; and Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The U.K. list is shorter. It covers all inbound flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia but omits airports such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

Which airlines are affected?

The nine airlines that operate direct flights to the U.S. from affected airports are Egyptair, Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

U.S. airlines are not affected because none of them fly from the airports in question to the U.S., according to U.S. government officials.

Passengers will still be allowed to take electronic devices onto flights departing from the U.S.

The U.K. restrictions apply to 14 airlines: British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2.com, Monarch, Thomas Cook, Thomson, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airways, Atlas-Global Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Egyptair, Royal Jordanian, Tunis Air and Saudia.

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Which devices are banned?

Smartphones will still be allowed. But passengers will have to check in any electronic devices bigger than that. That includes laptops, cameras, gaming devices and tablets such as iPads.

Medical devices required during the flight will still be allowed in the cabin after security screening.

When will it take effect?

The U.S. government officially notified the airlines at 3 a.m. ET Tuesday. They have 96 hours to fully comply.

And if they don't? "We will work with the FAA to pull their certificate and they will not be allowed to fly to the United States," one senior U.S. official said.

The U.K said it only that its measures would be introduced soon, and would be kept under constant review.

What are the airlines saying?

Turkish Airlines told passengers traveling to the U.S. that anything bigger than a smartphone must be checked in from March 25. Emirates also said it would implement the new measures for all passengers bound for the U.S. from Dubai on Saturday.

Qatar Airways and EgyptAir said they would be applying the new instructions on March 24.

Other airlines, including Royal Jordanian and Saudi Arabian Airlines, have said they will implement the measures.

What's the reason for the ban?

U.S. officials say the move is a response to fears that terrorist groups may target passenger planes by smuggling explosive devices in consumer goods.

One official said there's no specific plot authorities are aware of, but the U.S. has been considering such a ban for some time.

Why these airports?

The U.S. is especially concerned about the 10 airports in question, the official said, because of screening issues and the possibility of terrorists infiltrating the ranks of authorized airport personnel.

Flight and cabin crews are not covered by the new restrictions.

Officials said that they believe a threat to the U.S. would be negated if a passenger transferred through a secondary city with additional and more trustworthy screening procedures.

Isn't it dangerous to put electronic devices in checked baggage?

Safety experts and regulators have long warned that batteries shipped in bulk could constitute a fire risk that ultimately could bring down an aircraft. The International Civil Aviation Organization advised global regulators last year to ban carrying bulk shipments of such batteries in the cargo holds of passenger jets.