Comment by function_seven | Hacker News Reader

Comment by function_seven | Hacker News Reader

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> How can we mess up Middle Eastern airlines and their business prospects yet help our airlines? Security.

This ban applies to all air travel from the selected originating countries, regardless of airline. (EDIT: Technically this is true, but functionally it is the M.E. carriers that are most affected)

> Not to mention if they are loaning out laptops, who is to trust those laptops are not being spied upon?

Fair point. I wouldn’t be comfortable using a loaner for any sensitive work

> Why would any of these airlines agree to a ban without a quid pro quo for the other airlines as well?

They don’t have to agree. They either implement the ban or are denied landing I’m sure.

> This ban applies to all air travel from the selected originating countries, regardless of airline.

True, but I believe there are no US airlines that fly directly to or from those airports so they are unaffected by the ban. They'll stand to benefit from passengers using alternative routes that connect through Europe where many US airlines do fly.

Yeah, that makes sense. But it seems like a terrorist would also use that route, no? Either the ban is smart enough to include routes that connect through Europe, or it’s pretty much useless.

This has absolutely nothing to do with security. Trying to retrofit security considerations into that is just a waste of time.

The US wanted to attack those state subsidies for a long time and I suppose with Trump they found the right vehicle.

Wasn't Clinton planing the same thing via "Climate Change Certificates" for Airlines.

Most air travel by e.g. Qatar Airways is not with a final destination of Qatar - it's connecting traffic going back and forth among Europe, Africa, and East Asia. Forcing traffic to other hubs kills their business, but does not necessarily benefit American companies.

Thanks. I didn’t think about it that deeply, and skimmed the relevant part of the article.

This will be a significant hit on their business.

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