Qatar Airways to Offer Laptops on Flights as Workaround for Device Travel Ban

The recent electronic device travel ban on US-bound flights have left many business-class travelers without anything productive to do during the long flight. Usually these flights are a chance for many of them to get some work done undisturbed, but the electronic device travel ban limits the use of any device larger than a cellphone hand-carried on the main cabin. This includes tablets and laptops which, as as the US Department of Homeland security warns, are big enough to hide explosives in that can damage the fuselage and take the plane down.

Qatar airways however is going to be providing a laptop loan service for its business class passengers effective immediately as a way to workaround the device travel ban. They will allow users to download their work on a USB drive before boarding so they can load it on the loaned laptop onboard. Qatar airways will also be providing one hour of free Wi-Fi internet for all passengers with a £4 package for those who want to add Wi-Fi internet connectivity to their smartphones.

Other airlines such as Abu Dhabi-based Etihad is also offering a similar solution but with iPads on their US-bound flights in the business and first class section. Dubai-based Emirates will allow their passengers to use their laptops up until just before they board their US flight and Turkish Airlines will allow passengers to turn over their devices at the boarding gate and collect it once they arrive.