That's a proposal to ban laptops from CHECKED luggage.

Very few people check laptops. Laptops are expensive and airlines will not accept liability for loss or damage for laptops in checked luggage.

Such a ban would change very little as very few passengers would be effected.

I believe a lot of them end up in the belly with gate checked bags.

Maybe a few. I always take mine out.

Probably a good idea to ban them, we can easily fight the fire in the cabin. Maybe not in the cargo bin.

"Easily"? My guess is you've never held a run away lithium battery. I had a phone battery run away once. It was amazing in its intensity. Not so easy.

Since lithiums, my personal policy with cargo smoke on to point the ship towards the nearest suitable while we run the checklist.

We have special equipment onboard to deal with Li batteries now (in the cabin). Easily as in in it can be contained, and you know the status. FA will have something to talk about at the bar later.

If it's in the cargo bin, you have no idea what's going on and how bad it is, whether you need to divert, ditch, or land on I-405.

But yes, immediate action for any on-board fire is going to be point to a suitable divert.

The nearest suitable could be hours away when crossing the pond.

I am familiar , no aware of the procedures. They look good on paper. I'm skeptical although in reality. Imagine, after the thing starts burning and igniting whatever it is touching as well, someone goes to search for the gloves and the bag. Once you get them on, you approach the device, putting out acrid toxic smoke. If you are able to grab it and get it in the bag without choking out or having your eyes burned, you've made a good start. Then you have to fight the cabin fire started by the device. Otherwise, oh yeah.. guess we're gonna need the hood before we can grab it. Those are difficult to actually manipulate anything with it on.

Still, it would be preferable than in the hold.

We can't ban PEDs from pax flights, everybody would just stay home and we'd be unemployed. Seriously.

Very true. Like most other things, it's a calculated risk. Hopefully, the market and technology will develop batteries that the risk calculus becomes more favorable.