New In-flight Electronic Restrictions – Now What?
Many frequent travelers for business and corporate events rely on their flight time for working on projects, proposals, or staying in touch with clients. Big changes have occurred involving the use of electronic devices on flights into the U.S. Here’s what you need to know about the new in-flight electronics restrictions and how they could affect you.
Where Do the New Rules Apply?
Everyone is talking about the ban on in-flight electronic devices, but keep in mind that it depends not only on the device but where you are traveling from. As of now, the ban applies to flights to the US from the following airports :
- Queen Alia International, Amman, Jordan
- Cairo International Airport, Egypt
- Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey
- King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- King Khalid International, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Kuwait International Airport
- Mohammed V International, Casablanca, Morocco
- Hamad International, Doha, Qatar
- Dubai International, United Arab Emirates
- Abu Dhabi International, United Arab Emirates
In the event you are traveling to the UK after visiting another country, here are the current countries included in the ban :
- Turkey
- Lebanon
- Jordan
- Egypt
- Tunisia
- Saudi Arabia
What is Banned?
In general, any electronic items larger than a smartphone are included in the ban. This includes:
- Laptops
- E-readers/Kindles/Nook
- Tablets (iPad, Galaxy, etc.)
- Personal DVD players
- Portable scanners/printers
- Cameras (larger than a smartphone)
Now What?
Unfortunately for frequent business travelers, these items must be checked, which negates the efficiency of traveling with only carry-on luggage. Besides the hassle of checking luggage, this poses the issue of sensitive information kept on the electronic device being compromised in the event items are lost or stolen. Before being in this situation, it would be a good to verify the details of your travel insurance in the event of such a loss.
Luckily airlines are already looking into options for their frequent business and first class passengers such as, taking out loaner electronics for the flight . By using your own portable USB flash drive you would have the ability to work on the flight with these loaner options, but again, be mindful of sensitive information potentially being shared.
These new restrictions certainly aren’t welcomed by frequent business travelers, but planning ahead and knowing the limitations will help ease the transition regarding these new flight rules. Elm Planning is here to help you with any questions you may have, please contact us today.
