John Kelly's stint as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security is
the shortest of anyone appointed to that position since its creation in 2002.
And yet, during those six months, he presided over a department decision that
threw corporate air travel into an uproar.
In March, DHS announced a ban on laptops and other large
electronic devices onboard U.S.-bound flights from 10 airports, largely in the
Middle East and North Africa. The U.K. introduced a similar ban at the same
time, but the U.S. ban was the only one to include the hubs of the big three
Gulf carriers—Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha—all of which handle large volumes of
global corporate travel. Though the carriers rushed to find ways to accommodate
travelers, such as providing loaner laptops, corporate travelers suddenly faced
putting laptops, along with all the sensitive data they contained, in their
checked luggage.
In response, buyers had to adjust their own policies, many
setting up their own loaner-laptop programs at headquarters to prevent
travelers from checking their devices or diverting travel through hubs that did
not have the ban. The International Air Transport Association reported a
tangible hit in demand to the Middle East as the ban endured.
Airline executives who were privy to some of the
intelligence that led to the ban cautioned it could spread to flights from
Europe and beyond. Shortly before Kelly's departure to become President Donald
Trump's chief of staff, the DHS ultimately introduced another remedy: new
security requirements, including heightened screening of personal electronic
devices, for all inbound flights to the U.S. Over the following months, each of
the affected airports saw its laptop ban reversed as they adapted security capabilities
to satisfy the DHS's requirements.
"We cannot play international whack-a-mole with each
new threat," Kelly said upon announcement of the requirements. "Instead,
we must put in place new measures across the board to keep the traveling public
safe."
Though short-lived, the bans brought to the forefront the
needs for comprehensive policies for traveling with electronic devices, along
with data encryption and protection. After all, travelers still could be asked
to turn over or unlock a laptop at a security checkpoint, independent of the
bans.