Electronics ban - what you need to know.

On Tuesday 21 March the US and UK governments announced some new regulations that will affect travellers to both countries.

Both the UK and USA have imposed a ban on the carriage of certain electronic devices on flights that originate in certain countries.  There are similarities in the rulings from the two governments but important differences also.

Please note the key points:

• The USA and UK have essentially banned any electronic devices larger than 16cm x 9.3cm from being carried as hand luggage in the airline cabin.
• This includes tablets, laptops, portable DVD players and more (see the FAQ)
• The USA has banned these items in the cabin of any direct flight from the following ten cities to any port in the USA.
• Dubai, UAE (DXB)
• Abu Dhabi, UAE (AUH)
• Cairo, Egypt (CAI)
• Istanbul, Turkey (IST)
• Doha, Qatar (DOH)
• Amman, Jordan (AMM)
• Kuwait City, Kuwait (KWI)
• Casablanca, Morocco (CAS)
• Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (JED)
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (RUH)
• The UK has banned these items in the cabin of any direct flight from the following six countries to any port in the UK. 
• Egypt
• Jordan
• Lebanon
• Saudi Arabia
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• The US ban takes effect from 25 March 2017.
• The UK will allow the airlines to implement this themselves but we should assume it is effective immediately and advise customers accordingly.
• Customers will likely hear directly from their carrier(s).
• Medical equipment will be permitted but must be cleared by the carrier.
• Smartphones, cell/mobile phones are permitted.
• Travellers' nationality, age, gender, employment or cabin type will not make any difference. People travelling in The Residence will be subject to the same rules as those in economy.

What is a direct flight?

Any flight that operates as a single flight number from one of the listed ports to the US or UK. It will also affect customers who transit in these ports and originate from somewhere else.

Examples:

• A customer travelling BKK - IST - LON (who is transiting in IST) will be subject to the ban because although they are changing aircraft in IST, their luggage will transfer automatically. We must assume that they will not be permitted their electronic devices on the first sector as they will not be permitted on the second one.
• A customer travelling BKK - IST - LON (who is stopping in IST) will be permitted their electronic devices on the BKK - IST service but not on their separate IST to LON flight.

Concerns:

Travellers and industry experts have raised a number of concerns that your customers may have also. These include:

• Business travellers who need to work on the flight and require their laptop or Ipad - the only option will be to take paperwork on board or change their route/carrier. Normal change and cancellation fees will apply but please speak to the carrier(s) about options.
• Business people or government employees who are required to carry their work laptop with them at all times as per their employer's policy - as above, please explore alternative options.
• The security of items in the aircraft hold. Could they be stolen, tampered with or damaged? - This must be referred back to the airline(s). There are no guarantees but if customers have genuine concerns, we need to discuss with the airline.
• Entertainment for children and those with special needs - if customers are concerned about their child or loved on not having access to familiar games or entertainment, please discuss with the airline. The carrier should be able to provide detailed information about game and entertainment options on board their flights.
• Lithium batteries in check-in luggage - For some time now we have been advised that lithium batteries should not be transported in the hold of an aircraft. Please refer to the airline(s) about the safe carriage of lithium batteries. 
• Customers travelling on 'seat only' fares who do not have check in luggage - Again, please refer to the airline(s) for clarification and their individual policy.

To date, the ban is open ended.  Whilst it will be the airlines responsibility to enforce these security measures the proactive traveller should be aware of, and adhere to these rules. 

With a myriad of seat back entertainment at their disposal, leisure travellers should be less disrupted but these changes.  Business travellers will need to ensure any work they were planning to do aboard is done beforehand.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact your dedicated Flight Centre Business Travel account manager.