If you’re planning on doing any traveling this holiday season, prepare to wait at the baggage carousel whether you want to or not. Due to terrorism concerns, the United Kingdom and United States are considering banning carry-ons and requiring all passengers to check their luggage, according to an NPR report.

The ban isn’t set in stone yet, but it’s one option officials are considering in the wake of new intelligence “that suggests al-Qaida has been planning a high-profile attack on five commercial flights sometime before Christmas,’’ according to US officials who spoke with NPR. The report added that the attack appears to be centered around an effort to smuggle bombs onto flights with European destinations.


Officials are also considering a ban on all electronics in the cabin, meaning passengers would have to leave their devices in a checked bag and find a way to pass the time without the comforts of a cellphone, tablet, or laptop.

That doesn’t exactly sound like a pleasant experience and airlines might push back on these ideas, but flying is already such a hassle that you probably won’t even notice an extra lump of coal in the stocking of your holiday travels.