Amid the new rule imposed by the new US travel ban, passengers coming from selected Muslim countries to the US are not allowed to bring gadgets other than their phones in their carry-on luggage. This rule was imposed earlier in the week, and airlines flying to the US are given a couple of days to comply.
Emirates Airlines decided to improve the situation by allowing their passengers to use their gadgets and laptops just before boarding their flights. All Emirates passengers coming from Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE, Amman, Jordan; Cairo; Istanbul; Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia; Kuwait City; Casablanca, Morocco and Doha, Qatar to the US are allowed to bring their gadgets past the security gates and just hand them over to the security staff at the boarding gate.
The gadgets are then put in a box and stored safely in the cargo hold, where they can be claimed again after arrival. This service is not charged.
This service will start this Saturday, March 25 and will be in effect until October 14. The gadget ban is part of the US initiative to thwart terrorist efforts, as intelligence states that terrorists are now utilizing gadgets to smuggle bombs in flights, just like what happened in Somalia last year.
In a statement made by Tim Clark, president, Emirates Airline, he said: "Our aim is to ensure compliance with the new rules, while minimizing disruption to passenger flow and impact on customer experience. Our new complimentary service enables passengers, particularly those flying for business, to have the flexibility to use their devices until the last possible moment.
"Once on board they can still stay connected on their mobile phones. Our historical data shows that on Emirates' US flights, 90 per cent of passengers using our on-board mobile and Wi-Fi connectivity services do so via their smart phones."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
