Yahoo News UK flights' electronics ban to commence on Saturday
The UK is following the lead of the US by implementing a ban on laptops and tablets on direct flights from six Middle-Eastern nations.
Planes headed directly to the UK from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia will be subject to the new rules, which will prohibit electronic devices larger than 16cm x 9.3cm x 1.5cm from travelling in the cabin.
Any devices that don't meet the size requirements must instead be placed in the hold (via BBC News).
The UK government has called the measure "necessary, effective and proportionate", but computing experts have questioned the logic of the new restriction.
Nicholas Weaver, researcher at the International Computer Science Institute at the University of California, highlighted some of these concerns to The Guardian, saying: "It's weird, because it doesn't match a conventional threat model
"If you assume the attacker is interested in turning a laptop into a bomb, it would work just as well in the cargo hold.
"If you're worried about hacking, a cellphone is a computer."
The ban in the US, and now UK, follows concerns expressed by US officials that explosives might be stored in multiple devices, or larger devices such as laptops. But it's unclear what exact circumstances have changed recently.
The government has confirmed that the ban will be in place by Saturday, but some carriers including EasyJet have already implemented the order.
Worried you'll be affected? It's easy to find out.
Firstly, you'd need to be carrying a device larger than the proportions mentioned above, and the government has stated that most phones won't be affected. For example, the following models will all be allowed in-cabin.
iPhone 7 Plus
Samsung Galaxy 7 Edge
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
LG G3
Sony Xperia Z2
Assuming you're carrying a laptop, tablet, or phone bigger than the above, you'd then need to be travelling on UK carriers British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2.com, Monarch, Thomas Cook or Thomson.
Overseas carriers affected are Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airways, Atlas-Global Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Egyptair, Royal Jordanian, Tunis Air, and Saudia.
The government hasn't prescribed what airlines should in situations where passengers are affected, but has advised a "customer-focused approach". It probably means that those on budget airlines who have not booked hold space for luggage may incur extra costs to transport their electronics.
It's best to seek advice from your airline if you're unsure.
The ban comes soon after a similar move by the US, which prohibits devices of the same dimensions from coming from eight Middle-Eastern countries.
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